You may never have realised this, but when I create a new project, I always have a dilemma… Should I write it up, or just enjoy it for myself? Mostly, I make that decision on my own. But this time, I thought I would ask all of you. I am working on a new project which I could turn into a Peyote stitch beading class. The question is: should I?
So, please read on…you are literally going to determine whether or not this project is published…
What is the project?
Cast your mind back to January 2021, and my Beaded Chocolate Factory event. During that month, I asked you all what candies or sweets or chocolates you would like to see as a beading project.
I had a lot of answers, and I have created patterns for a lot of those already. (You can see three of them in the images below, and you can find the tutorials on this website and in my Etsy store). BUT…
Many of those patterns have not sold. So, this has led me to question whether there is a demand for projects making sweets and candies? Now, I know that there will always be differing opinions. Not everybody wants to make the same type of thing. And that’s a good thing…the (beading) world would be very boring if we were all the same!
Back to the project in question
But let’s get back to the project in question here…
One of the most popular suggestions was for a British brand of chocolates in wrappers, called Quality Street. This is what they look like…
I could immediately see what a great idea this would be. So, back in January, I ‘invested’ in a box of them…purely for research purposes, you understand…
The beading story
Now, at first glance, it looked like they would be pretty straightforward to make. Yes, lots of shapes, but I’m used to using Peyote stitch beading techniques to create geometric (and less regular) shapes.
Finding the right bead colours proved the next challenge… Again, not that difficult.
However, when I sat down and began making these, I realised what a HUGE amount of design time and tutorial-writing time would be required.
The chocolates themselves only take about an hour or two make. But the instructions are going to be VERY time-consuming.
I made the mistake of assuming, at first glance, that one or two shapes would cover all the chocolates. However, when I took out my actual models, I realised that they are all subtly different. So, I have found myself basically needing to design twelve different chocolates.
Yes, I may understand how the shaping works. But it has been requiring a lot of experimentation, frogging and ‘wasted time’ to get the sizing and details looking right.
Don’t get me wrong…this is what designing is all about. And the satisfaction comes from achieving a good end result. So, I’m not complaining here. And, I am certainly enjoying the products of my labour so far…
The question: should I turn this into a Peyote stitch beading class?
I shall certainly be finishing all the beaded chocolates. I may also need to reward myself by eating the models….but that’s another story…
My question for you today is: would this be something you want to make too? Should I then take the time to write up these tutorials?
I will need to share them as an online class because they are going to require the extra explanation that I can offer only in video format. So, if there is sufficient interest, I will turn this into a Peyote stitch beading class. It will take the same format as my other online classes… You will be able to take the class in your own time, whenever you’re ready, and follow along at your own pace. You will get a full PDF written tutorial, but also benefit from video demonstrations to help explain things more clearly.
If too few people are interested in this, then my time would be better spent on another project that will be enjoyed by more people.
So, over to you…what do you want? If you want to make your own beaded chocolates like these (and remember, there are still another 7 designs to come), please complete the form below. And, if you want to be sure that there is enough interest in this, please also make sure your beading friends know about it and can help with this decision. Thank you very much!
If you don’t want to make these, no problem…just head off to enjoy some more beading, and I will know to put my time into another, better, project. Thank you!
An Update
I have now removed the form because I’m happy to report that enough people asked me to write up the tutorial. So, you can now find it here as an online class. And, for those of you who just want a PDF, I have that option available as well. The description introducing the online class also links to the PDF only options if you want those. So, you’ll find everything in that link just above!
