Here it is, the THING for which I gave up most of my sleeping time these past two months...
I had a hard time trying to figure out what I should make for such a big event like the Battle of the Beadsmith. I had some basic designs in my head but those were all rough and I just couldn't get anything more concrete on the paper. So I just took an abalone shell cabochon and was ready to see where it would take me.
After I chose the beads matching the colors of the cab - and they were not easy to find, it was clear I was going for something inspired by the Maori culture, especially the lines of their amazing face tattoos:
I wanted the necklace to be a bit larger but since Lily was 4 days old by the time we were allowed to start beading and she was my priority, I couldn't step up the game as much as I wanted. I am happy with the result, I think it has the tribal vibe I was going for and it's definitely wearable (perfect for a sleeveless black top or dress).
Let me say a few words about the material. As I have already mentioned the biggest cabochon is abalone shell or paua in Maori. The rest of the cabochons are mother of pearl beads, as are the coins. The beads used for the embroidery are Czech Preciosa. There's not much to choose from if you're looking for Preciosa beads of equal size to TOHO 15 if Miyuki 15 and I was really glad to find these colors in the huge pile of beads I own. The borders are done with bigger beads.
Big thanks goes to my friend Šárka who was so awesome to model for me last minute (and let me paint on her face). I couldn't take the photos the way I wanted but I'm counting on another photo session so hopefully I can brag here about new photos in no time.
Well, these are all the photos I'm allowed to publish now. If I "survive" the first battle and the battles after it, I'll be able to add one photo for every round. And if I loose, I'll be able to publish all of them at once.
P.S. For those who are wondering what the name Moemoea means - it's "Dream" in Maori.
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