Module 3 - Chapter 8 - Beaded Sampler

As a background to my beaded sampler I used dyed linen fabric backed with muslin. This was then stretched into a wooden frame for support whilst stitching.

3801

3802

 From left to right, from the top, an edging row of seed beads; alternating seed beads, and round green beads; an edging of clustered pink seed beads (inspired by Jenny Marty's beautiful bracelet); pink round beads oversewn with pink cotton thread; towers made up of a seed bead, on top of a sequin, on top of a vertical bugle bead, on top of a square bead; a green circular paperclip couched with pink thread, surrounded by mini sequins & bugle beads; matchsticks trapped under red sweetie wrapper.

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 ...alternating seed beads, and round green beads; alternating pink seed beads & red bugle beads; and edging row of green bugle beads threaded either side of a lime green beed; spiralled curtain hooks decorated with green seed beads; 2 lines using more than one type of bead; a compact area using more than one type of bead; a pattern made with tile spacers stitched with metallic thread and decorated with a bead at the intersection; alternating groups of beads and sequins threaded in groups as an edging.

3804

 ... a sequence of red beads & bugle beads threaded in groups of 3; small painted seeds (from a tree in India) held down with knotted thread; 4 cowrie shells (inspired by a Kalashi headdress belonging to Angela Thompson's collection) edged with 4 small sequins held down with long legged detaiched chain stitch; a large group of sequins threaded either side of a large pink bead and stitched down to form an edging; painted tap washers trapped loosely under green dyed plasterers scrim; a pattern of square glass beads held down with a cross stitch alternated with round plastic children's beads.

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... a random selection of buttons piled on top of eachother; rows of sequins each threaded onto one long length of yarn; a random selection of lightly spinkled beads, including shisha glass stitched down with embroidery thread; bugle beads held down in groups of 2 with a cross stitch and forming a basketwork pattern; large beads stitched down in groups of 3 to form an edgining.

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 The bottom of the main panel is edged with double rows of random coloured seed beads.

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The pieced bottom section (inspired by Module 1) is held on with beaded safety pins (inspired by a visit to the Zandra Rhodes exhibition); the chain (inspired by the Angela Thompson headdress, and also synonymous with Birmingham) is held down with clusters of green seed beads; bottom row from left to right; a fringe of large random pink beads & sequins; rows of green seed beads & bugle beads forming a pattern, with occasional beaded loops at the bottom; seed beads and bugle beads in a fringe decorated with bells (inspired by the Angela Thompson headdress) a lattice pattern of pink seed beads made by catching a bead from the previous row.

In June this year, Angela Thompson visited our local embroidery group with a collection of emroidered garments that she had collected on her travels around the world.

Amongst her collection was this headdress worn by the Kalash women, a tribe found in the Chitral Valley on the Pakistan/Afghan border.

The Kalasha people are a peace loving pagan tribe living in remote villages and renowned for their blue eyes and fair skin. They are said to be descendants of Alexander the Great.

I was inspired by the use of shells, bells, buttons and chains amongst the beads on the headdress and felt this would be a useful reference for my beaded sampler!

kalash 1

kalash 2

kalash 3

kalash 4