Backless Cabochon

I took a knitting break yesterday. I worry, sometimes, that I'm gonna give myself carpal tunnel if I knit too much. So I decided to let my knitting muscles have a rest and used the beading muscles instead.

This months challenge in my Learn2Bead Yahoo group is to learn to do a backless cabochon bezel. Usually I do the type that requires the cab be glued to a backing (I use stiff interfacing) and the beads are then embroidered around the cab. After that, you glue a piece of suede or leather to the back, then sew beads to the edges and embellish from there. It makes for some pretty jewelry and I love doing cabs that way.

However, I've been intrigued by the idea of making a bezel with beads to hold the cab, so I joined this months challenge. Yesterday I was going to do the basic netted bezel, ...then I went to the mailbox. The new issue of Bead and Button had arrived. Wow-wow-wow!

It has a gorgeous beaded cab project featured on the cover. It uses St. Petersburg chain instead of netting. I HAD to try that one out right then and there! I gathered my beads and got started. Four hours later it was done. Here are the results.

Front

Back

If you're wondering what I put it on for a background, it's a Thimble Berry leaf. There's a big patch of them on the east end of the garden. Lots of flowers this year too. We might actually get some berries. That would be a first!

Don't know what kind of strap I'm going to do for this pendant. Something simple. Maybe a herringbone tube. I love the strap they have in the magazine pattern, but it's a little too much for this cab, I think.

It was hot yesterday. In the 90's. Still, I beaded outside, on the deck, at the table, under my big umbrella for shade. There was a nice cool breeze that blew every so often. I really enjoyed myself.

Have a great day.