Raven Fringe Collar

I’ve been focusing a lot on destashing accents and seed beads recently, rather than some of the tougher to use focals and single beads that are still remaining. Last week, I decided it was time to tackle the last of my black vitrail Czech daggers. I absolutely adore these beads, but they’re not the kind of accents you add to just any project. Both the shape and the finish are a little on the intense side, so they’ve been waiting around for just the right design.

When using up beads like these, the trick is not to fit them into a piece, but to design around them. I started by choosing the seed beads that would back them up, and went with a single, equally bold color. The hank of deep blue 12/o Czech seeds that I purchased recently seemed just right. The color is similar to Montana sapphire, and makes the perfect complement to mysterious black vitrail.

To make sure that every dagger got used, I added them to the edge of a chevron collar. I wasn’t quite sure how the change in seed bead size would affect the shape of the beadwork, so I didn’t attempt any fancy patterns. After a few base rows, I added a dagger to every outside loop until they were gone. As I suspected, the 12/o seeds created a slightly different drape, so I finished the necklace off with right angle weave extenders.

Do you like to use dagger beads in your work? What’s your favorite stitch to pair them with?

Copyright 2012 Inspirational Beading
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