Poppy Pouch - Start

First class of the new year, Japanese bead embroidery! I've had my kit for months and have been eagerly waiting to start. This piece is called Poppy pouch and is the phase 3 design in the curriculum. In this phase we learn how to pad and "needle paint" with beads.

When you get the kit, it comes with all the beads (including pretty crystals) and the hardware to finish the pouch. I'll have to provide my own lining and interfacing later.

During our first class, we set out to put in an outline. This step is very important to ensure the overall shape is consistent. You can't trust the printed outline as it distorts when the fabric is stretched on the frame.

It's even more important in this project as we have two sides to stitch and we want the final size to be the same so they would fit with each other.

The second thing we did in class, is start the beaded outline. This is the same process we followed in Calm Flow. Cecilia did spend some time showing us different ways to string the beads if they came on a hank. However, since mine came in a bag this time around, I used the method she taught me in the previous phase.

In this piece, we have a few things to take into consideration that is different from the last design. Calm Flow had curved corners, but in this one we have sharp corners to take into account, as well as points. The points are what will allow us to finish the pouch with a curved bottom and will be cut. It's also not efficient to end the beads every time, so a method is used where the "empty" thread is carried around the point and couched down.

I had one more outline to put in, more like a guideline, to separate the flower area from the vertical lined area. Notice how the outline recreates the petals and leaves.

As I'm the type of person who dislikes stitching the same thing more than once, I decided I would tackle both sides at the same time. This ensures I don't end up with what amounts to the same piece to stitch a second time.

Homework! For next class, I need to have the following completed or started:

• Beaded outline - done for both sides
• Put in guideline - done for both sides
• Stitch center of flowers (bijoux)
• Start the vertical lines (to and fro technique), basically couching lines of beads

I have one more weekend before the next class so I have high hopes.