finish work sooner than expected

originally the plan was to only leave the center arcs with the irregular edges and to create a regular rectangular finish at both ends

but as the beading progressed, I found that I like the curvy organic shapes of the seahorses at each end, and decided that it didn't really need all that "fill" work

after sealing the back, yesterday I trimmed away all of the extra felt from the back and started attaching the bead work to the leather backing (which is a lovely soft piece in a wonderful teal color)

the bottom edge (as this picture is oriented) has had the double bead edging stitched on and now I need to do the top edge

should have this done by the middle of next week

which means I'm thinking about the next piece

for several years I've worked with Loveland Opera Theatre to do their fundraising auction

this year's theme is Viva Verdi as a tribute to Giuseppe Verdi's 200th birthday

I'm going to create a piece of jewelry for the auction inspired by Verdi's Aida

this silver plated stamping arrived in the mail yesterday -- it is the double headed falcon used in Egyptian jewelry and other art

I plan to design the necklace around this

after yesterday's photo  I did a little sketching  -- it needs work, but its a start

like I said -- another quilt in the planning

and a glimpse of the knitting project that has been my relaxation the last thing in the evening

it's progressing quite nicely!

time to get to it