Amelia, Bead Embroidered Collar hand made by Catriona Starpins

Introducing “Amelia” my Kinga Nichols summer inspiration box 2021 submission. A bead friend of mine who introduced me to the Kinga Nichols facebook group, Meg Thompson, was shocked when she found out I had never ever attempted to make a beaded collar. Apparently, all good beady people who love bead embroidery, have attempted collars. So why had I never made one? I have made plenty of necklaces, but never a collar all in one piece. Perhaps it was the fact that they can be hard to get the fit right? I don’t know why I have never made a collar and I enjoyed the challenge of getting the fit just right.

The stunning purple metallic leather and the metal bee really spoke to me when I opened this box. To showcase the beauty of the leather I used the clear glass cabochons I had in my stash to create bezelled windows viewing the stunning metallic leather beneath them. I then mounted the bee on the center square cabochon, and it was like they were made for each other. The polymer clay cab was a perfect fit for just under the main bee and the collar started to take shape.

My least favourite colour in the whole wide world is lime green. My mother Christine Mole and I have a long running joke about the lime green in the family caravan and how it is a “yucky” colour. In my inspiration box I was lucky enough that my extra tube of seed beads was lime green. My initial thought was oh no! But rather than not use them at all I took it as a challenge to step outside my comfort zone and embrace them. It made me think of all my aversions to green over the years. Why do I hate it so much? After all it can be a great supporting colour. hmmm?

Then I came across some lime green and purple striped two-hole tile beads in my local bead shop, Cranberry, here in Australia. They were a perfect fit to the other beads in the box and really helped to frame my collar shape. They were also the perfect match for the lime beads in the box which I ended up using along the edge to frame the work.
One part of my journey with this design that I did not enjoy was the attempt to bead directly on Ultrasuede rather than felt. It was a weird and stretchy foundation to use, and it puckered in a most unflattering way. My edging buckled and I was seriously displeased with the outcome.

After putting the collar aside for a few weeks, I decided to unpick all the edge and repeat it this time allowing for the stretch in the surface. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to overcome my aversion to green and produce a first ever bead embroidered collar that I am very proud of.

This is a one off collar, complete with an elegant elements slide clasp is handmade by me in my home studio in Carrum Downs Australia. It is ready to post as soon as payment is made.

This is your chance to own your own original Catriona Starpins Design which is sure to delight.

Length of collar around neck 57cm

Pendant size, not including collar 10 x 12cm