Dissecting A Beautiful Design

Fabric, fabric, fabric… I love fabric! One of the wonderful things I have found through the world of blogs is fascinating, fun, functional fabrics and designers that aren’t your average super store finds.

One of my favorite finds has been Free Spirit Fabrics. I was in a local, specialty fabric shop last week, they had just gotten a shipment of new spring designs! I was instantly lusting after the fabric above. The friend I was with teased me, as I was holding the bolt and literally petting/cooing over the soft cotton.

I ended up petting the 3 yards I purchased all the way home! LOL! And as I drove, my beady inclined brain started to envision glass beads based on the designs I saw floating in the fabric. I just love the fluidity of the design and the unexpected blend of the colors.

I decided to draw out the ideas that were forming in my head. I thought that to understand where to start, I would try to recreate the part of the pattern I found the most interesting. There is a process to building up the layers of a glass bead that is very, very different from drawing. If only you could go in and add details the way you can with a pencil.

It is ironic… one of the reasons I was at the fabric store last week was a very deliberate effort to avoid a funk. The day before the trip to the fabric shop, I was dissecting my funk on my blog and lamented that its cause might be due to the fact that I don’t surprise myself anymore.

I said “when it comes to beads, I think I have gotten to a place that I can pretty much sit down and create any design in my head. Unfortunately, new designs just don’t seem to be flowing… so I am not excited… so I don’t feel that surprise and excitement.” When I sat down to make these new beads…. I learned I was wrong!

These are the first round of beads inspired by the fabric. They aren’t what I had in my head… it turns out, making what is in my head is going to be harder then I thought! I am excited by the challenge, and I am eager to continue the experiments. I am enjoying the hunt for just the right blend of colors… I am loving trying different patterns in the layers… and I am intrigued by how I am going to blend these into “my style”. I will be sure to let you know how things go along the way.

Kerry Bogert is blogging about her glass art beads and jewelry from her home studio in Ontario NY. Check her work at www.kabsconcepts.com.