Vest help

[randyinkc]

I'm working on my first beaded vest. Its for me in an adult large men's size. My question is that I am starting to worry that I may not have enough of my background color to finish the thing. I am using 12s on the background. The vest is lazy stitch and I am using 8 beads a stitch to give you an idea of the size. I have approximately 1/3 to 3/8ths of the vest done. I started with a full kilo of the background color. They are kind of crappy beads as they are not very consistantly sized. I have 2 more kilos of the background color that appear to match the color but they are 13s (again somewhat irregularly sized.)

So if any of you have ever done a full vest before, was a kilo enough to do your background or did you use more than a kilo?

If you think I need to break into the 13s and mix my sizes should I go ahead and do it now or wait until I am out of 12s?

The pattern design is geometric. Two smaller designs roughly 8 x 8 inches on the lower half of the front flaps. The same pattern doubled in size to almost 16 x 16 on the back panel. I havent decided yet what design I will use on the top half of the front flaps. In the designs the background takes up approximately half of the total beads.

Any thoughts?

[tigger]

randy,
i have never done a beaded vest (yet) but i do know that a kilo will get me a fully beaded outfit (background alone). so i would think that a kilo will get a vest done. unless you get rid of alot of the bad beads.

keith

[randyinkc]

Thanks Keith!

I havent been throwing out too many of the beads, just the ones that are really bad. I will keep plugging away at it. I have used a full kilo in the background of the rest of my stuff. Its just been starting to make me nervous that I am going to run out with 6 inches left sew... ;)

[tigger]

don't feel bad i feel like that whenever i'm working on big projects.


keith

[lsijohn]

I have done 2 beaded vests this summer.

One was a large size one a small.

The large vest took a kilo and a half. That was using a size 11 bead. My small vest only used about 3/4 of a kilo.

Just out of curiosity......where did you buy your beads??

[randyinkc]

The beads are from CCTP, though I bought them many years ago.

I started the vest almost 10 years ago, did just a little bit on one of the front panels, and then promptly lost my motivation and shelved it until just getting back into it around August of this year. The background is Cheyenne Pink and when I first laid out my design I had two kilos of 13s to do the vest with. Those two kilos were stolen and I had to re-order. I re-ordered 3 kilos with the intent of doing a vest for me a beaded yoke for a buckskin dress for my wife (we were still dating when I bought them :)) However, when the 3 kilos came in I didnt notice that one of them was actually marked as size 12s and by chance that was the bag I pulled out when I started working on the vest.

Redfringe-About how long is your large vest? I'll have to measure, but mine is about 40 inches or so when laid out flat before being sewn at the shoulders. My guess is that if you used a kilo and a half using 11s, I probably am going to run out of my 12s before I'm done. I doubt that I could get color to match with the beads being at least 10 years old.

So, does anyone have a suggestion? Since the sizes are somewhat irregular anyways should I go ahead and mix some of the 13s in now or should I wait until my 12s run out? As I have mentioned, I'm pretty sure that the color matches, they are just marked as different sizes.

hmmmmm.....

[lsijohn]

I didn't keep either of the 2 vests that I made.

I kept myself on a pretty strict schedule to get them done, though. The large vest was definately a challenge for me. I finished 1 panel and when I got to the second I felt totally overwhelmed and like I'd never get my project finished. But I started focusing on getting a certain section done before I put the project away for the evening, and that seemed to help. And before I knew it........I was done.

I just don't know what to suggest as far as the bead problem.............

I think if you kept using your 12's then added 13's after you ran out, there might be a definate line. Is there a huge difference in the size 12 and a 13?

If you are set on using 12's and 13's I'd say just mix 'em.

I think you might be better off with a size difference than a color difference.

If you mix the sizes the difference in bead size might not be as noticable.

[lsijohn]

As far as the length of the vest, I will have to measure my pattern and get back to you on that one.............

[randyinkc]

Thanks!

I'll take a picture of where I am tonight and take better measurements.

I understand what you say about feeling overwhelmed at times. I have told all of my friends that I will have it done by early June so the fear of public ridicule should be enough to keep me motivated. ;)

I think since the sizes are so irregular that as long as the color isnt an issue, mixing them probably wont be noticeable. I will have to look at it a little closer. I am almost dont with the large design on the back panel, and I think I will do the smaller 8 x 8 on the lower front and then look at mixing.

Thank you for everyone's suggestions!

[tcumonster]

Randy and others...

Good luck with your current project...I am not sure I have what it takes to do a fully beaded vest. I am interested in doing a new vest for my outfit and was wondering if anyone has a suggestion on a pattern. Did you make your own or find one somewhere? Thanks for the info...

[randyinkc]

I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a pattern from a friend of mine who has beaded about 5 vests for himself. He is a little taller than I but we are about the same diameter :o so I just shortened the length a tad.

I will post pics of my work in progress tomorrow to give you an idea of the shape. I am sure you can find a pattern, if not I'd be glad to trace an outline of mine and send it to you so you can play with it...

Its really not too bad of a project if you take it a section at a time. Looking at the whole thing is daunting but I have made alot of progress in the last 4 months or so and I am only able to work on it about 6 hours a week.

[randyinkc]

As promised, here's some pics:

Here's a picture of the full size. The vest is about 42 inches wide, by almost 24 inches tall.



Here's a closeup of the stitching.



Here's a closeup of some seed beads on a needle. The fourth one from the left shows the irregularity. I often get ones that are smaller than the average size shown here.



tcumonster--Let me know if you want a tracing of the pattern!

[tigger]

i like the design and color combination. hope it comes out really good. i'm going to start on one for my next outfit pretty soon.


keith

[randyinkc]

Thanks for the comments!

I wish I could claim the color combination, but I cant. A choctaw/cherokee friend of mine gave me a beaded headband when I was 16 done in those colors. I liked it so much that I chose to stick with them for the rest of my stuff. So all my stuff has been done in that color combo. I get lots of grief over the pinkness of my regalia, but I am rarely forgotten! ;)

The design is a variation I came up with from a couple different patterns I really like.

When I'm done with the vest, I plan to redo my belt and make side tabs as they are just a boring old mountain pattern. My cuffs have a similar pattern to the vest. I have been leaning towards repeating the cuff pattern on the top halves of the front flaps to help tie everything together.

My next outfit I plan to due with an American flag motif and use a greasy yellow background. I hope to do the reds with a cranberryish white heart and find some other old time blue and an ivory white.

[tigger]

that's the best way to do beadwork. combine designs, till you get one that you like. that's what i do with alot of mine. and one day i plan on doing an outfit in cheyenne pink, so you are not alone out there. just need to get the money up to afford the beads.