My grandmother died last month. She was a fixture in my life, indomitable and dearly loved. She'd been ill for some months and her death was not exactly a surprise but it was still terribly sad for me. As my dad and my uncle sorted through the things she left behind, they kept sending me photos and jewelry. The jewelry I want to take apart and reconstruct into something wonderful, but that project is going to have to simmer a long time- maybe years. I needed to do something to honor Millie, to make the loss real to me here, thousands of miles from where she lived and died. I found a photo of her with my grandfather and decided to bead it.
The project was very involved, from plotting out as a graph through the laborious counting of each row. I found it meditative and full of memories and echoes. The finished piece is 4.5" x 3.25" and has 4488 individual beads woven together into a heavy, fabric-like picture. There are 8 colors in the piece. It is, of course, not for sale.
12 comments:
This is fantastic, what a wonderful project.
What a wonderful memorial to your grandmother. I hope it helped you deal with your grief. My condolences.
Wonderful project. A great way to remember someone you loved.
It is so wonderful Melody! I can understand the feeling behind it and how it was therapeutic to work on it!
That portrait of your grandparents is wonderous. I could NEVER do anything as demanding and intricate as that with a pattern to adhere to.
Melody-- first, I'm so sorry for your loss, but I'm so glad that you and she had a loving relationship.
Second, what a glorious thing to do. The end result is phenomenal, but on this one, I think the journey is the important thing.
I'm sorry to read your sad news Melody.
Your beaded memorial is beautiful.
Kerrie x
I'm so sorry to hear about you losing your grandmother. This is a wonderful way to keep her memory alive.
My grandmother's name was Millie also. How wonderful of you to make the picture. A treasure for all times.
We hold our grandparents in a special place in our hearts. I'm sure you could feel them sitting by your side as you wove their beautiful portrait.
It's absolutely beautiful and an awesome tribute to your grandmother. I comfort myself for my grandmother who has also gone by knowing that she lives forever in my heart and in my genes.
That is amazing and a really great idea! It turned out beautifully.
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