Hello, my dear beady friends!

Last week I posted about my struggles to learn Ogalala stitch and fulfill one of the last items on the Isolation Beading Challenge. I’ve been having a bit of a hard time finding an “Unknown/Unloved” stitch because I’ve tried so many of them and couldn’t think of any that I particularly disliked.

But then inspiration struck!

Fringe. I do not love making beaded fringe.

I almost always avoid using fringe because I hate using non-waxed thread so much. I really only use Fireline (6lb or 8lb in Black Satin, almost ALWAYS) and Fireline is just not good for fringe. It’s too stiff and instead of getting a nice, soft drape of beads, you get an awkward layer of legs all akimbo. But, in the interest of completing my own challenge, I went for it!

And you know what, it really wasn’t that bad. I did still dislike using the One-G thread that I had, but being able to pick between more colors and finding something that complimented my bead colors was actually really gratifying. I think I ended up using Beige One-G thread to match my color palette of Miyuki Duracoat Forest, Matte Opaque Cream, Matte Lt Tea Rose, and this unlabeled salmon that I’ve had in my stash for YEARS.

I used Brick stitch for the top and then added the fringe in a sort of soft ombre that got longer in the center, with tiny Fire-Polished crystals at the tips. I made the top all one color because I wasn’t confident I wouldn’t mess up anything more complicated, but in the end I decided that large green portion needed something. So, I added a tiny bit of chain with a little pearl drop. I’m about halfway done with the matching earring and I think I like it!

But, after seeing so much gorgeous fringe on Instagram, I wanted to go all out and make a pair of ombre shoulder-dusters with these gold frames I got at Beaded Bliss!

I used the same color palette that I had been wanting to use for my failed Ogalala project to make this warm-tone, kinda summery-fall ombre situation. I really love how the blend turned out. This time I used S-Lon in a shade of burgundy, which matched the bottom of the fringe, but added a neat contrast to the warm olive at the top.

I still think they might need something. Some sort of drop or dangle to fill the center of the gold hoop? I haven’t found anything in my stash that quite fits the bill, but I haven’t given up yet!

And even though using non-Fireline beading thread was a little unpleasant and I didn’t wax it like I should have (I know, I know, shame on me), I actually had a pretty good time making the fringe? Deciding on the colors was SUPER FUN and I was definitely impressed by how quickly it worked up in comparison to basically any other beadweaving technique.

I think I may even make more!

Technically, this does mean that I’m done with my Isolation Beading Challenge, but I am unable to share the first task (the completed project) because it’s a sample for an upcoming beading pattern. So maybe I should knock out one more before I feel like I’ve REALLY completed the challenge.

What do you guys think? What are your feelings on fringe? Do you have an unloved stitch you’d be interested in revisiting?