I had a marvelous time making my Maven Meld, “Lila Loves Orchids”. Nancy and Cynthia are beading geniuses! Both of their designs offer marvelous construction, and the clear, easy to follow directions put these creations well within the reach of most beaders.
If you’d like to make the necklace I created by melding Nancy’s Lila Earrings and Cynthia’s Orchid necklace, here’s how to proceed.
You’ll need 14 39ss (8mm) chaton stones, and just a few more beads, say 2gr extra, in sizes 11/0 and 15/0 than you would to make the Orchid necklace alone. My color palette was in shades of gold, brown and olive, and I used Olivine chatons; I can imagine this necklace being gorgeous in any colorway!
First, you will need to bezel the chaton stones. I followed Nancy’s excellent instructions exactly as to bead sizes, but I chose colors that were right for the palette I’d selected. After bezeling all the stones, I set them aside.
Next I stitched the basic “Orchid” necklace as per the pattern instructions, with the exception that I reversed the order of steps 12-16 and steps 9-11. That is, after step 8, I skipped to steps 12-16, then went back and completed 9-11, then continued in that order to complete the pass. You may certainly keep the order exactly as Cynthia wrote it, but you’ll need an additional chaton if you do.
Next, I resumed with step 17 and worked through step 20 as instructed.
With Step 21 (remember that in the necklace I made, the Step 21 unit is actually the step 24 unit and vice versa,) I began to attach the chatons, which I did by replacing Cynthia’s embellishments with a right angle weave unit comprising 11/0 beads and working through the 11/0 in one of the picot points on a bezeled chaton.
In step 24 (remember, actually the step 21 unit), I replaced Cynthia’s embellishment with an embellishment worked over the 8/0 beads in the ring added in step 9:
Work through the 8/0s to exit from the bottom 8/0. Pick up three 11/0s and pass through the 8/0 your thread is exiting(picot added). Pick up three 15/0s and pass through the 11/0 your thread is exiting. Work back up to the thread exit point indicated in the original pattern and continue. Complete the remainder of Cynthia’s steps.
I added a final pass to link the chatons and create additional visual “weight” needed to balance the weight of the chatons. Follow these steps:
1. After adding the clasp, travel through beads to bring the thread out through the 11/0 that your thread entered in Step 23. Pick up six 11/0s and pass through the 11/0 at the tip of the picot on the side of the first chaton.
2. Pick up three 11/0s and three 15/0s and pass through the third 11/0 to form a picot. Pick up 2 11/0s and pass through the 11/0 at the tip of the next picot point in the bezel. Repeat once.
3. Pick up six 11/0 and pass through the 11/0 that your thread exited in Step 24.
Repeat these steps across the bottom edge of the necklace. Secure the thread in the beadwork and trim.
“Lila Loves Orchids”! And you’re going to love working with these two incredible designs!