Jewels by Margaret Lee
22nd March 2024
Apparently in 2022, it is estimated that more than 90 percent of people aged 55 upwards, occasionally wore glasses.
That’s quite a few people!
It also means that a high percentage of those who receive this newsletter are probably wearing glasses to read it right now.
That’s good for two reasons. The first, it means you’re a prime candidate to make use of the feature project we’re about to share with you. The second, it also means that, assuming you are actually wearing your glasses, you’ll be able to see clearly all the delights and beauty that bead embroidery offers.
The project Jewels is a glasses case embellished with a mandala-inspired design in jewel and metallic colours and created by the uber talented Margaret Lee.
This project, which features in our new book The Art of Bead Embroidery Japanese-Style 2, was designed with overlapping groups of patterns inspired by mandala designs.
Mandala patterns lend themselves well to bead embroidery. They are fascinating, possessing the intrinsic characteristics of individual patterns arranged in a harmonious manner into a wider circular shape.
Originating in Buddhism, it was Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung who popularised mandalas in the West, theorising that they represent self and are ‘archetypes of wholeness’.
He observed that creating mandalas had a calming and focusing effect. Which is handy, seeing as for this piece we’re using a mandala to decorate a vessel to house a device to help our eyes focus!
POINTS OF INTEREST
Some of the points of interest to appreciate in Jewels include the colour scheme, which takes on the shades of precious stones and metals – rubies sapphires, emeralds, gold, silver and bronze – all of which combine superbly for a rich display.
The design provides the challenge of creating a linear perspective between the overlapping motifs, at the same time maintaining perspective for the individual pattern groups.
Also, colour plays an important role in creating overall visual movement here with a mixture of metallic and non-metallic beads used to maintain pattern groups and their respective movement.
When it comes to the all-important part of constructing your glasses case, it is comprised of two sections – an upper section to which the beaded fabric is attached and a lower section that is covered with adhesive vinyl.
Detailed instructions for the beading and the construction are all included in the book.
A DIFFERENT INTERPRETATION
As an added treat, within the book The Art of Bead Embroidery Japanese-Style 2, Margaret Lee also includes a case study of Jewels stitched by one of her accomplished students, Sue Fox. Sue stitched the alternative project and chose her own colour scheme along with making some alterations to elements of the pattern that made the design a better fit for her chosen scheme.l
‘There is just something about the beauty and simplicity of the Japanese approach to design and colour, combined with the lustre and texture of beads in all shapes, sizes and colours, that really speaks to my creative spirit.’
You can read all about Sue’s own journey into the world of bead embroidery and her experience in creating her own version of Jewels on pages 40 & 41 of the book.
So, there you have it, a superb hand-embroidered glasses case embellished using gorgeous beads. With so many of us apparently using glasses, it must be about time to elevate our cases to a new level and show the world just what beautiful needlework is all about.
Make Your Own Jewels
We have all the materials you need to re-create this project, from easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions to a Ready-to-Stitch kit with everything sourced for you.
*Instructions – As this kit does not include instructions, for step-by-step directions on how to create this project, please refer to the book The Art of Bead Embroidery Japanese-Style 2, sold separately.