My Bead Embroidery

Do ya like beadwork?

Do ya like to mix it up with found objects, stones, and images? This lens is about my love of bead embroidery and some of the techniques I use to create two- and three-dimensional bead art using needle, thread, and a stitchable surface.

Check out my other Squidoo lenses for more beadwork resources. Stay tuned as I build them up a little at a time. This is fun!!!

Meanwhile, be sure to sign my guestbook, fill out the polls, and share your opinions about beadwork, bead art, and your creative ideas! Check out the Amazon poll below, too, and rank your absolute favorite beadwork book!

Medusa Techniques

Detail of a beaded mirror

A variety of beading stitches, mainly bead embroidery over trapunto quilting. Trapunto is a quilting technique there the initial quilting is done, then the back is slit in some areas and more stuffing is put in. My friend Kat Allison suggested it for this project (and her husband made the mirror for me out of red oak, to my custom specifications, he is that kind of guy!).

I used raw silk for the surface cloth and put extra stuffing behind the eyes and nose. Because this was created for the International Delica Challenge, I was required to use Japanese Delica beads, which I don't normally use for bead embroidery because they are cylindrical and don't necessarily lay well. The overall impact on this project was just fine, though.

I beaded the eyes first and worked out from there. In the raised areas, I took long stitches of backstitch and tacked them very gently so as not to squish the fabric. I had to bead one of the eyes three times before they looked like they matched. The background eye color is actually a transparent iridescent pink.

The skin tones are combinations of mostly opaque glossy beads with some matte tones thrown in here and there, and metallic dark bronze for the outlines.

The other stitches I used in this piece were tubular peyote stitch (for the snakes, with decreases for the heads) and netting (on the back, not visible in the photo). I attached the snakes to the embroidery simply by stitching through key beads and reinforcing them until the snakes stayed put.

Before the Millenium, USA Techniques

Detail of a beaded belt buckle

Basic running stitch (applique, full coverage). Beaded on ultrasuede using size 13-0 charlottes. Charlottes are faceted on just one side, so a beaded surface reflects a hint of sparkle, that doesn't interfere with the hue of the beads.

In full coverage work like this, you can bead directly over a sketch or photo, of a photocopy, that has been transferred or, in this example, basted to the beading substrate. I sketched the white buffalo calf from photographs, and freehanded the other elements as I beaded.

The comet tail is created with both opaque and transparent yellow beads. The transparent beads "fade out" because some of the dark blue ultrasuede shows through them. In other places, I blended several shades of colors together in a single area. Using smaller beads makes it possible to get a lot of blending done in a small space!

La Llorona Techniques

Detail of a framed wall piece

Basic running stitch (see the full image in my Mystical, Magical Beadwork Lens or on my portfolio site linked below).

It's a bit trickier to bead onto a surface that isn't fully embellished, because you can't be as loose with your sketching, and generally you can't just bead over a sketch that's basted to your substrate. Also, depending on your substrate material, you can't rip out your stitches too much or you'll mar the surface.

In this example, I did sketch very lightly to indicate where the components would go, but it was hard to see and took a LOT of concentration to get things right. The hand pictured here was done in size 15 Japanese seed beads and though it's only about 1/2" long, it took a good hour to bead to get that contorted gesture. In her front hand (not pictured here) I used size 11 seed beads in the exact same colors (one advantage of using Japanese vs. Czech seed beads is color consistency across sizes).

The trees and brush are done with rare Czech metallized true cuts that were only produced for a short time in the 1990s. Little did I know when I bought them they'd go out of production almost as soon as they started!

Here are some tricks for beading on a surface you can't sketch on -- one is to baste the sketch to the BACK of the beadwork, then stitch onto the front. Of course, you do have to keep flipping your beadwork over, but it's really the only way to bead sparingly on, say, a very light, non-erasable surface. Another trick is to use a disappearing embroidery marker. Unfortunately, they don't always show up on dark surfaces, and because beadwork is such a slow craft, the marker usually disappears on me long before I'm done!

The Bead Art - Bead Craft Debate

What's YOUR opinion?

Some galleries and exhibitions exclude work done with beads as the primary medium because they are considered by some to be "craft" items. Other art shows accept beadwork that is not functional or adornment; that is, sculptural or wall art. Some artists limit their definition of "art" to traditional media such as drawing and painting. Other artists embrace all forms of creative self-expression. Where are you in this continuum? If you work in beads, where are you in the art/craft debate?

So, is beadwork art?

Fetching blurbs now... please stand by

Yes

Gregory says:

Sure, but it rather depends on what you make.

Posted January 02, 2008

jbutler says:

yes

Posted January 01, 2008

dcruey says:

Good beadwork IS art. Bad beadwork is like bad painting.

Sculptors aren't looked down upon for using various media. Why should beads be relinquished to "craft?" Precious metal or gemstone pieces can be art. Beads in the hands of the right person can be as moving as any "art" I've ever seen.

Denise

Posted December 28, 2007

No

marytafoya says:

Just to play Devil's advocate, I'll say NO! Why would beadwork be art just because it's beadwork? Is there something inherent in beadwork that automatically makes it art? I think not. I suspect my definition of art is conservative, but I think art has to have certain ingredients -- such as skill/craft, intention, and something to communicate. Not all beadwork has that (nor do all paintings, sculptures, photographs, etc.) So there! 8-)

Posted January 31, 2008

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Mary Tafoya's Seriousbeadin'

Here's where you can see (and buy) my beadwork and other art

Feel free to contact me for custom orders. I also teach locally (in New Mexico) and, occasionally, at national shows and such.

Mary Tafoya's Etsy Shop: Handmade by moi. Repurposed and recycled beadwork, jewelry, and mixed media adornment. Gifts, one of a kind creations that are everyday wearable, durable and unique.
My Portfolio & Resume: A portfolio of my work, resume, class offerings and contact info.
Aunt Molly's Bead Street: Lots of free beadwork pattern motifs, tutorials, and more images of my bead projects and jewelry.
Blog: Mary Tafoya's Seriousbeadin': My (Seriousbeader's) foolish bloggishness. Lots of eye candy and cool resources! The occasional rant...a bit of journalling, and new work.
Seriousbeader's Etsy Supplies Shop: Mostly vintage. My Etsy supplies shop, featuring unique, vintage and handcrafted supplies for the discerning craft fanatic! Specializing in vintage nailheads, sequins, jewelry stampings and other unique finds for crafters.
MaryTafoyaBeadwork Mailing List: This is my Yahoo Announcement list. You can sign up to receive very occasional announcements about special deals, freebies, news, and whatever else is happening in Aunt Mollyland. Get the inside scoop!
Bead-patterns.com: My beading patterns and tutorials for sale at bead-patterns.com
Flickr photos: My photo albums on Flickr, mostly new work in various media.

Bead Embroidery Books

Focus on stitching beads to a substrate

These books explain how to create jewelry, sculptural forms, and wall pieces with beads and thread, with an emphasis on common bead embroidery stitches.