Monday, April 11, 2016

Those Fishy, Bad, Bad Beads

Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by this week. I hope you are all enjoying the pollen warm weather.  I know I am! LOL

Let's just get down to it!  This week over at Every Inchie Monday the theme is Fish.  This one was kinda easy to design but not too easy to bead.  Why, you ask?  Well, glad you asked!!!  Those beautiful tiny seed beads that have enamored me my whole life many times need to be culled.  Culling is when you have to inspect the beads and take out all the ones that don't look right, are broken, or too small/big.  Usually when I bead my inchies I get 3-4 beads that need to be culled.  There have also been times when I missed a bead that needed to be culled and beaded with it.  I am usually the first (and many times only) one who notices.

But this time with this inchie in just 2 rows of beading I had this happen.


These are all the beads that I was unable to use when I was beading just 2 rows of the pattern.  There are only 19 beads in 2 rows!  ARG!  This is one of the frustrating things about beading.  I know beads are massed produced and sometimes there are mistakes made.  Lately the beads I use have needed to be culled more.  Which brings me to another conundrum, are beads being made in more mass production (causing more culling) because they are more in need or am I just hoarding so many that they need to keep up with my stash??  LOL   I really don't want to know the answer to that question!

Here, after all the culling, here is the finished product.


I used 3 colors of mostly good Delica beads ;).  I love this kinda fish.  So tropical and pretty.

I am also working on some competition pieces that I can not show yet.  But if you are interested in joining some fun competitions then check out Dry Gulch's monthly color challenge, Seed Beads and More's monthly beaded vessel challenge, Seedbeadsters, peyote triangle challenge, Beadwork Mentoring's Kaleidocycles challenge and of course EIM and 2x2x2

I would love to hear from all of you and thanks in advance for the great comments.Until next week, have a blessed and creative week!

20 comments:

  1. Love your fish! Also can't wait to see your secret pieces you're working on! I'm still plugging away at wedding jewelry. It never ends!

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    1. thanks Becca, I feel the same way when I make Christmas ornaments

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  2. Such a perfectionist! I resemble that remark! It's why Aikos are so popular- almost perfect, they are.

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    1. lol thanks, I may have to try the Aikos, not sure I could give up my Delicas

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  3. I tried to follow your link to Seafbeasters but got "unavailable" instead of a website. Then I searched in Facebook for a group - no luck there either.

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    1. Linda Jo, sorry that the link did not work for you. I see the problem, I misspelled the group name it is Seedbeadersters. Please search for the group again and check it out.

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  4. I know what you mean about culling beads... In the kind of beautiful beading you do size really matters but when you are using them to encrust an embroidery you can get away with the random ones. I'm so glad you managed to find enough to complete your fish in this instance!

    Sally

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    1. thanks Sally, I have not done bead embroidery in ages but you are right about that

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  5. I have never heard of culling but like Sally have only used beads to enhance embroidery but what a pain for you however you did a great job as ever - always very professional and I love your colour combination and your fish style - excellent

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    1. Thanks Jenny, I am glad that it looks professional!

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  6. Love your colourful fish, beautifully done as usual.

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  7. Cute fishy, Freebird! I say it's just wonderful. Have a brilliant day! Cheryl

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  8. I think some culling is inevitable. And some tubes and colors have more funky ones than others. I an honestly astonished that manufacturers can even produce these tiny wonders, and that they are as amazingly similar to each other as they are. I will smile and cull as needed. With rocailles, I often save some of the funky ones for turning corners tight spaces, and spaces that call out for a bigger bead. Sweet fishes!

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    1. Thanks Marsha, you are right. I do love the beads no matter what. I also save all my bad beads. One day I will make good beads out of them lol. Thanks for stopping by

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