A Few Beads More!

It's amazing what a few little beads can do to the surface of a needlepoint piece to jazz it up a bit. This is exactly what was missing, I think, as it was looking a bit lifeless before. The beads on the left side are my favorites of the Sundance beads - the #250 clear. These are the smooth ones rather than the hexagonals, as I didn't want glitter, but just a subtle textured effect with some shine. These beads have a rather iridescent surface, and reflect the surrounding background color as well. Also, by using floss the same color as the background silk to apply the beads, they look the same color, but with a different effect than I would have with pink/purple beads - and I like it much better!

This canvas was enjoyable to stitch, and simple, as it was the silk ribbon flowers that were to be the important part. With only five patches, the flowers show up well, and aren't overshadowed by a lot of pattern and texture in the background. Incidentally, my camera seems to make a better image than the scanner, as the colors here are true, and the beads show up better (which is why I opted to use the camera). Also, the flowers aren't mashed!!