Creating a New Design

For those of you who do not know me personally, you may find it hard to believe that I have a very hard time following other designers instructions!  No, it's not because their instructions are bad (usually they are better than mine)!  It's because I can't shut off my mind.  I am always thinking...Why do it this way?... What if I did it that way?  I usually screw up the beadwork!  In doing this, new designs are developed! (One must always have a positive side to any undesirable attribute!)

I came up with this X pattern when playing around with my beads and thought, "Aah-ha, this will be great!

So I put several Xs together and there it was...a beautiful bracelet!  However, when I put this bracelet on, it collapsed in upon itself.  So I moped around for a day and dreamed about how to "fix" it.  Hey sometimes it works!  Don't laugh!  It definitely worked this time.  With the addition of several 3 bead bridges stragetically placed between the motifs, no longer did the bracelet collapse!  So now I have a new design!

Look carefully between the center motif and the end motifs.  Notice there are no connecting bridge beads.  This bracelet collasped!

Compare this photo to the one above and notice the connecting bridge beads that keep this bracelet from collapsing!

But did I stop there....NO!  I had to see what would happen if I changed the direction of the Xs, and another design was developed!

Notice that now the connecting bridge beads are in a different place.  Yes, I had to add them here to keep this bracelet's structure!

I am in the process of writing an instruction packet for this new design.  I call it Morning Dew.  There are 3 bracelet possiblities and a pair of earrings included!  

One bracelet design not pictured is just a straight line of motifs connected together for those beaders who like a simple design!  Happy beading!!!
Norma Jean