Sunday 1 January 2012

Little Beaded Owl

During December, I found I had a recurring dream, about a beadwoven owl... I couldn’t figure out how to make one, but when I mentioned it on a facebook group – it turned out another member had been having a similar dream, and she had found a kit online to make a beaded owl!

The kit is by Heather Kingsley-Heath, and can be found here.  She also sells just the tutorial, so you can pick your own colours etc, which is what I chose to do.  I wanted my little owl to have slightly more natural colouring than the kits offer.  She does explain why her kits are unusual colours on her website - they are based on Kimono fabric, and they are beautiful... just not for me!


I can only speak about the tutorial, not the beads provided in the kit, but it was well presented, in a small booklet, in a plastic binder, with excellent diagrams and well thought-out text.  It explains step-by-step how to make the owl, using the wide variety of stitches required.  It is a real stitch sampler, using peyote, netting, right-angle-weave, herringbone, brick stitch and albion stitch.  Albion stitch is totally new to me, but it is well explained and is easy enough to do to make the little leaves at the end of the branch. Because so many different stitches are used, it is almost impossible to get bored making these little owls!

So, here is my little guy... for some reason, he looks a little cross-eyed, but I don't mind... I think it gives him some character!


















(Top photograph from the HeatherWorks website www.heatherworks.co.uk)

4 comments:

  1. I totally forgot to tell you that I absolutely love this!!!!!!

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  2. Love your little owl - what size is he, he would be nice on a key ring or mobile phone. Which FB group suggested a pair of earrings a week, sounds interesting lol

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    1. Hi Jax, the owl is about 6cm tall, he was great fun to make. At the moment, he sits on my desk.
      The facebook group is called Operation Tackle That Bead Stash... come and join us!!

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  3. Beautiful!! I wanted to give this to a friend so I just went and purchased the kit after your recomendation. Thank you!

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