Bugs! ("Jeweled for Needlepoint")

As promised on the other blog, here are patterns for the "jeweled" bugs. The ladybug, as I remember, is inspired by one of the miniature Faberge' eggs, as I saw it on a charm bracelet in an art museum catalog. I didn't stitch it myself, but it was very popular as part of my wholesale line about ten years ago.

The red, of course, is enamel, and the diamonds could be stitched either with glittering beads (Sundance #250 hexagonal clear) or with something else sparkling from your stash. The yellow beetle with black dots was taken from a piece of jewelry I saw in a magazine several years ago - and would be a fun scissors fob, key ring, or just an ornament. The little bumps on the ends of the legs and antennae are smyrna crosses in metallic gold. This is where the new DMC Satin Floss could be well used, as the shine approximates the enamel of the original piece.

To draw your own onto canvas, use whichever canvas size you prefer - mine were on 18 mesh, and the ladybug was 3 1/4" high x 2 1/2" wide. (including the legs, which I added - they weren't on the original jeweled egg) Remember that instructions for drawing are somewhere else on this blog if you haven't seen them before.

This first drawing has the gold parts outlined with a gold pen to make it easier to see what goes where - but you also need the scan of just plain black ink drawing on canvas.



















Next, the yellow beetle, which could be any color you wish - I did the background with beads, as you can see where I drew the dots for placement in the picture at the top. The oval itself is 3 1/2" x 2 1/2". This bug has lots of possibilities!!


I have done lots of bugs and butterflies and even spiders over the years - from antique jewelry, mostly. I hope to dig them out of the filing cabinet and boxes, and maybe even create some new ones, as one can do so many things with threads, etc. Besides, bugs are cute!!