Blending in Bead Embroidery
Linda Landy
Here is the next in a series of tips and techniques that were left out of Textured Bead Embroidery in the interest of space. I hope you enjoy them.
My very first Bead Dreams entry was inspired by a fabulous tree frog button and a heap of variegated and embellished daggers, lentils and ovals. I wanted the frog to sit on what looked like a grass vista at sunset – grass, then sunset peaking through the grass, then sunset, then blue sky. And, I wanted the grass to have texture and body.
The solution was a technique I call Sunset Glades -- rows of daggers supported by rows of ovals and lentils. The technique also encompasses color blending. The daggers lay beautifully instead of flopping around and the color and shape transition is seamless.
Sunset Glades
Start at the bottom and backstitch a row of daggers in color one. To reinforce the beads, pass through the entire row again.
Above that row backstitch a row of oval lentils in the same color tightly against row one. Pass through the entire row again. The ovals disappear into the background, but they support the daggers and added dimension.
Repeat that pattern (tightly stitched rows of daggers then ovals) until you want to introduce the next color.
To transition into the next color intersperse a few randomly placed color two daggers and ovals among the rows of color one beads. With each subsequent row increase the number of color two beads in random areas (obviously decreasing the number of color one beads) until there are only color two beads. This is a classic method for blending colors as you transition from one to another.
Repeat until you want to introduce the next color.
To taper off the design, replace a few randomly placed daggers with lentils. With each subsequent row increase the number of smaller beads (obviously decreasing the number of color one beads) until there are only small beads.
SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS