Updates and new finishes

Finally finished the backstitching and French knots on Maggie the Messmaker last night, and am now left with 'only' a daunting amount of cording to go. I've never done cording before and it looks fiddly, as you have to lay the cord (after making it) on the picture and then tack it down in swirls and squiggles. I'll start with the smaller areas first and work up to the big bits! Here she is in all her backstitched glory...I really like the lacy detail on the tablecloth. The cording will show the detail on the sewing machine, scissors and tablecloth, and will also form trails of yarn from the sewing box in the top right hand corner.


I've also been at the bead box again, which is growing ever larger in the corner - there are so many gorgeous ones out there, and so many lovely books for inspiration....below is a necklace and bracelet set with pink freshwater pearls, a lampwork focal bead and seed beads for a friend; a bracelet made from lampwork rose pillow beads inspired by a picture in a magazine; a more deliacte bracelet with tanzanite/pink bluebells and glass leaves from the current Beads & Beyond magazine; chunky charm bracelet with red crackle glass rounds, Tibetan silver leaves and flower charms and a Czech glass ladybird; and a turquoise ribbon & thong necklace with dangle made from a lampwork tube bead, a random round and some glass cube seeds.