Lotus Necklace

I attended my first beading workshop with Melanie Potter at Bead Junction on Roncesvalles in Toronto. I really learned a lot of general techniques in addition to making the projects. This is the lotus necklace - or I should say it is a lotus. All of this project used chevron chain as the basis of the stitches. The chain is then embellished with beaded beads. The actual necklace is on Melanie's site, http://www.melaniepotter.com/. The lotus you see here was done mainly in #11 seed beads. In her necklace there are also smaller lotuses done in #15 beads. I thought one was enough, and I didn't add the beaded beads because I wanted to use the chain also for other things. I do not really like the colour of the peyote band that attached the lotus, but these were the only beads I had that sort of went with the colours, and I didn't feel like taking this apart when I got back either.

Melanie is a great teacher, and was very patient and also made sure she went around so everyone got personal attention. I would love to visit her studio in California sometime, and maybe I will now that our son is heading to California to work in January.

Chevron chain is easy and creates an open framework that lends itself well to embellishment. It is also a strong structural weave that enable the chain to be firm. The chain drapes well, and a lot of other embellishments could be added. Carol Wilcox Wells site www.shoolofbeadwork.com has a bracelet called On the Fringe that uses this stitch as the base. There are also vessels done in this stitch in her book.