Karen Williams of Baublicious began showing off her fish quite some time ago. When she finally published a tutorial I knew I wanted it. Then she announced a Fish and Friends blog hop; and because I had a fish almost complete I joined.
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| Small fish with kiss lips |
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| An error in Vision |
Surprisingly enough, the Scheherezade Pendant was next. I featured that last week. My plan was to create a variation on a charm holder or chatelaine from the Scheherezade Pendant and the fish. My original concept did not quite work. Honestly, it was not awful, but I did not like that the red and yellow rings covered up so much of the Scheherezade Pendant.
Next was what I call the Big Fish, but Karen identifies in her tutorial as Fat Fish:
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| Big Fish |
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| Filler fish |
Then I pulled some fish out of my stash- honestly I have had these fish since the mid-1990's it was time to use them.
Putting it all together for the chatelaine:
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| Full Line of Fish |
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| Almost done |
In case you have not noticed, I love to make necklaces. Having said that, I always struggle with the neck strap. This time was no different. I tried several options and settled on St. Petersburg Chain.
Finally, connect it all:
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| A colorful catch |
A few words about the tutorial. I did not diligently follow Karen's excellent directions. I substituted saran wrap for the bead she uses. I did not quite execute the increases correctly. I scanned the directions for the dorsal fins and the kiss lips and then did not refer back to the directions to complete the work. In other words, any errors are my own and not the fault of the designer. This is a wonderful tutorial and covers more than just the fish pattern. You can purchase the tutorial at Karen's Etsy shop. She also sells kits.
Now, without further ado, go visit the rest of the participants:
Francie Broadie - FAB Custom Jewelry
Shirley Moore - Beads and Bread
Bobbie Rafferty - Beadsong Jewelry
Tanya Goodwin - A Work in Progress
Cynthia Machata - Antiquity Travelers
Kathy Jo - KJ's Beadacious Beads You are here
Therese Frank - Therese's Treasures
Nancy Sopp - AlaskanNancy
Alison Oman
Dolores Dwight (Sorry, no link yet.)
Amy Severino - Amybeads
Eleanor Pigman - Eleanor Pigman
and our hostess, once again:
Baublicious
Have fun at the hop.
Ok, I'm so seriously loving that idea! They look wonderful with the other fish charms, and the pendant is just perfect! I do so love your color choices!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Shirley. I have been kicking around the idea of a chatelaine for years and, as with the bright colors, I finally had a chance to execute it.
DeleteWoweeeee. I thought just the fish were sweet in an of themselves, but a colorful catch is absolutely dynamite!!!! I agree about the beaded bands covering up too much of that gorgeous pendant. I love the fact that you had the other fish charms to use. Being a bead "collecter" myself your story throws fuel on the fire, you can never have too many beads :D
ReplyDeleteThe explosion of color just makes me smile. I think it would be great to pull that necklace out on a cold and gray day in the middle of winter, one of those days where you just don't want to get out of bed. The radiance in the necklace would make the most frigid and dark day warmer and brighter.
I was so disappointed that the beaded bands did not work, I really wanted movement. I am glad that there were other possibilities.
DeleteI had to laugh about being a bead collector. I am getting better about not buying every bead I see- better is not cured.
I love the idea of wearing this on a cold and gray day. Perfect.
Your approach to this beading challenge is like my husband's wizardry in the kitchen. He opens the cookbook, reads through the recipe, closes the book and then creates the most marvelous feasts! You've served up a dazzling array of hues in this necklace - what a summer treat!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous compliment, and particularly apt since I also like to cook. Thank you. This was a fun challenge.
DeleteI love your long skinny fish. The top one looks like my goldfish Glub, only Glub is not so svelte. Great idea using saran wrap as the filler, you could create a lot of interesting shapes that way. I have heard of doing that before, but I always forget about it, when it comes time to make something.
ReplyDeleteYour finished necklace looks great. The donut pendant is wonderful. And I think Petersburg chain was the right way to go. I have been itching to try the double Petersburg chain for a while now, but haven't had the time. This might be the inspiration I need to bump it to the top.
Thank you. I have to admit I am so envious of all those cute chubby fish. I am, however, pleased with the way mine turned out. The puffy hearts I make are filled with saran- it really is a great filler.
DeleteTry the double St. Petersburg chain- I almost used it for this, but after a lot of mis-steps on which weave to choose for the strap I kept it simple.
I love reading about your process KJ, and what a fabulous finished pieces, it's so colourful and lively, I just love it
ReplyDeleteThank you Lynsey.
DeleteI don't think I have ever made anything that did not have a few false starts and visions that did not quite work out. I am awful at drawing so I do not sketch it out ahead of time. I am not even sure if I could draw that I could avoid those stumbles as I am sure if I had sketched this out the bands around the pendant would not have been nearly so distracting.
By the way I have updated my links to your blog. I am looking forward to watching you grow.
Your fish are delightful! And my hope is always that people will use my tutorials as springboards for their own explorations. And that's exactly what you did!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love how your fish worked together with your Scheherezade Pendant and the fish from your stash. Your necklace looks like it will be such fun to wear!
And thanks for all your feedback!
Thank you Karen. Both of my fish have long skinny tails- my count must be off! Of course I see each and every flaw and then the camera magnifies what I cannot see with my own eyes. I have to admit they look really good on the necklace.
DeleteI was not sure when I bought your tutorial how I was going to use the fish, I just loved the fish.
The tutorial was wonderful and comprehensive. I certainly got my moneys worth.
Thank you for setting up the blog hop.
This necklace design is fantastic! Hugely fantastic!!! I love the colors of your fish - but then the way you put it together with that pendant is just amazing. I love your design.
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy. I had a lot of fun with this and fell in love with the fish the first time Karen posted a picture on her blog.
Deletewhat a great and fun piece! and in your bead stash since the mid 90s? indeed time to get those fish jump'n! ha! Wonderful necklace!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I have beads that are even older and still unused. Someday, they will find the perfect fit. I actually bought some special beads for this necklace that are now in my stash as they did not work out. Specifically, I bought a carved bone turtle and fish but when I went with the bright colors they did not fit. It is good to have a stash.
DeleteThank you again. I really enjoyed making this.
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ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful surprise to see your beautiful Scheherezade Pendant used with the fish! Your creations are fantastic...the mix of the woven fish and the old stash are perfect together.
ReplyDeleteThank ypou Christine. This was such a fun project. I have loved both pieces, the Scheherezade Pendant and the Fancy Fish since first sight- it was great to be able to make them both AND use them together. Plus I really enjoyed the bright colors on this.
DeleteKathy, it is indeed a chatelaine that's as imaginative as it is colorful and attractive. I'm in love with your "small fish with kiss lips", it looks like a fancy gold fish - you know, the ones with the fantastic fins and tails ?
ReplyDeleteYour stash of 1990's fish charms is adorable and I'm sure extremely rare. Love the way you put it all together. :)
Thank you. The Karen Williams created the pattern for the fish- it really is a great pattern.
DeleteI bought those fish charms in Baltimore, I was making pins at the time. I just never found a good way to use them. Funny how memory works. I hardly ever get rid of beads- I know that some day I will find a way to use them.
Hi KJ,
ReplyDeleteI am back from Florida and just now getting around to the blog hop.
I love your fish they are both beautiful and sassy! I like the creative way you chose to display them, your necklace is awesome.
Therese
Oh no... I thought I replied to you this morning, must have been a dream.
DeleteFirst, glad you made it back from Florida.
Second, sassy??? Now I like that!
Lastly, thank you for the compliments. I really do like this piece a lot and it was fun to make and I think will be even more fun to wear.
I love the fish of yours. I love there dimensionality and uniqueness and apparent movement. Great colors too! Delightful!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Marsha. I cannot say often enough how much I enjoyed this project- the ring and the fish and the colors. And, it was lovely to be able to use patterns provided by others to create the whole.
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