Recreating an antique seed pearl piece

[Lulu]

It's so exciting to see your progress on this fantastic progress! And I love that you have a feline assistant, too! I have two who keep tabs on things like strings and strands of pearls. They are actually very helpful for finding dropped beads -- just follow the cat! I used to have a cat who would run off with entire strands of beads, but the ones I have now just like getting a paw in here and there =^.^=

[Lulu]

Gah. Project. Not progress... (the second time).

[pattye]

Thanks much for the update!

[Caitlin]

Yes. Installments are fun. I love the anticipation! I am really impressed, so far. I am such a lowly beader compared to birthing this concept then being able to follow it through!

[Kithplana]

I started adding pearls last night, and... so far so good



That's my workspace -- some size 00 filament silk thread I had, tweezers, my good embroidery scissors, and some twisted beading needles on a velvet pad. Those beading needles are fine, very fine... and bend if you look at them funny.



This was my first attempt at adding the pearls. I strung them on a doubled strand, anchored it at the end, and used the same doubled strand to come back and couch between each pearl along the way. However, I failed to account for the extra space the couching would add, and wound up with a couple pearls too many.

Time for something easier.



This time, I kept the pearls strung on the double strand, but started in the same place with a single strand (on a real beading needle, none of this flimsy twisted wire business!) and followed, still couching between (almost) every pearl. This has worked out much better, and means I don't have to estimate how many pearls I need to add for each segment.

The base itself is also working out well. The printed parts are smooth enough to look nice but still rough enough to grip the silk well, and the whole thing is flexible so I don't have to worry about breaking it. There are some rough edges the polishing didn't get to, but those can be smoothed out with a very small file or even my beading needle. It's still very fiddly work

Next on the list: see how well the thin stem holds up to the 2mm pearls, and start tracing the designs for the other pieces...

[GemGeek]

I'm so impressed by your intention becoming reality. Faboo!

[pattye]

Kithplana,

Thanks so much for sharing the whole process with us! It's amazing what you are accomplishing!

[Caitlin]

Really, this is one of the most extra-special step-by-step threads I have ever seen. I hope it starts a trend!

[Ash]

This is a fabulous thread! Thank you so much for sharing the process with us! I can not wait to see how it looks completed.

Cheers
Ash

[Amrita]

Wow - thanks for sharing the progression of the work-in-process of your ambitious pearl project! Fascinating! There are so many people waiting and watching to see how it is coming along and wishing it well!

[dmj]

haha great to see this post i was bidding on the original on ebay only i stopped at 600 nice your making something like this it should be quite some work , good luck !

[Joyful Grow]

1100USD. I think the labor cost is more than pearl beads value. Design is wonderful, it is not hard to finish, but it will spend much time.

[Joyful Grow]

Wait!! why not try some colorful pearls? maybe more beautiful.

[lisa c]

I love the way that idea popped into your head, Joyful! I love color too. This design could be done many beautiful ways.

[Kithplana]

Well, it's been a while, but I haven't given up on the project -- I've been busy with numerous other projects, as usual. But I always swing back around, and knowing that I have enough of the tiniest pearls to finish the project (or I should!) helps...



I've made good progress here. The midsized pearls at the tip of the stem were kind of a pain, but I ran the doubled carrier thread back through the second to last pearl and wrapped everything up tight with the attachment thread.



And all the pearls are on! The loose threads will all be glued down to the back. Silk is, for lack of a better word, boingy at this scale, and knots can't be trusted to stay knotted for very long.



A shot of the messy back before gluing. A toothpick, some small scissors, and a bottle of PVA later, and...



...the first piece is complete!

I haven't made any progress with modeling the other pieces yet. I know that I'll need to scale up this piece, which is easy, but I've been putting off the circular pieces. They're not flat, so I have to work out how to warp the meshes and join them together at the right place. Meanwhile, I still have the mirror image of this piece to start.