Sister Elephant: Work-in-Progress

A very brief time ago I resolved to complete projects before beginning new ones. I've done a pretty good job ~ many little pillow, big pillows, coasters and ornaments have been finished. Some have appeared in my Etsy shop, others have been taken to the "real" shops that sell The Beaded Pillow items ~ (Beelighted in Zumbrota, MN and Scrub Your Butt Soap Co. & Other Parts Too in Rochester, MN).

While I was completing projects I found a fabric swatch in one of my many drapery fabric sample books. On that note I have begun an ambitious new project: Sister Elephant. Sister Elephant had a companion piece, in a different color, that I turned into a beautiful beaded pillow I named Princess Elephant last year. PE became one of my all-time favorite pillows so I am very excited to create Sister Elephant.

Sister Elephant, happily on her way to becoming a cool beaded pillow.

This palm tree was the lower half of the elephant swatch; now an applique sewn onto the back of this new pillow.

Resolution Update

Over a year ago I started work on Butterflies & Pearls. I knew I wanted to create a set of matching beaded pillows but found the fabric pattern did not support beads well. So the project was scrapped (oh dear...what a pun!) Mindful of my resolution I completed Butterflies & Pearls...leaving the pillow fronts bead-free and beading only the sides of each of the 4 pillows with medium faux pearls. Simply lovely.

Another project left in the closet until this morning was a large pillow made of black fabric with a fruit tree design. I decided it would make a much sweeter beaded hanger so I cut the pillow apart, took the largest fruit (an apple?) and made it an applique on the back of the hanger. I'm in the process of beading the smaller fruit on the front.

I'm happy to report that the floral pillow shown in my last post has been completed. Yay! It'll soon be listed in my Etsy shop.

I Resolve to...

I made a New Year's resolution: complete one project per week. My approach to creating beautiful beaded things is very time-consuming. Some pillows are very detailed and take "f.o.r.e.v.e.r." When I begin to get bored I begin another project. This is not a good thing as it causes a back-up of partially beaded things all over my craft room. The photo only tells part of that story, the rest of which is in the closet. It's not a happy story but there is an end in sight. I've begun to go through the canvas bins of Projects Never Finished and as the weeks go by (one at a time) you will see pillows, hangers, ornaments, coasters and more finally finished and ready for purchase in my Etsy shop, at Beelighted in Zumbrota, MN and at Scrub Your Butt & Other Parts Too in the Kahler subway, downtown Rochester, MN.

The pink flower pillow is one of my f.o.r.e.v.e.r. projects. It is next on my list to complete.