In its December 2003 issue, Bead & Button magazine featured the work of Sherry Serafini, a wonderful bead artist who specializes in THE most fabulous beaded accessories. Included with the article was the instructions for making a bead embroidered collar in her style. Of course I had to try one of my own.

My version features six small amethyst cabochons accented by various other small stones, pearls, and seed beads. It is more decidedly blue and purple than this photo shows. The actual embroidery went quickly -- I couldn't put it down! -- but my enthusiasm waned when I got to where I had to finish off the edges. The collar was set aside until such time as I could face such a tedious task.


Last week I decided to clean off my beading desk. Heaven knows it needed it, as I could no longer work there for the debris scattered over the entire surface. As I excavated the mess, I rediscovered several old projects that are worth completing, one of them being this collar. I put on a movie and decided to tackle that darned edge finish.

It actually took about 5 movies to complete the task, bead-by-stitch-by-bead, but last night I finished it, and now it's ready for the fun part... the fringe! I have been playing with combinations of beads and stones that might work, and I'm just about ready to thread up and get started, while sitting at my neat and tidy bead desk.

Do you think I can keep it that way? It's SO much more pleasant to work there, now that it's not such a disaster area.