This is the Barbie that I made to send to The Beadin Path, in Freeport Maine. Every year they have a challenge to make something, and when you are done, you send it to The Beadin Path to be displayed for a month and then they send it back to you. This year they wanted people to make bugs of any kind, real or imaginary. The challenges official title was "The Ugly Bug Ball", not that my barbie should be considered ugly...
I beaded some wings for Barbie. I started with the big beads that are in the center sections of her wings, and then did brick stitch with size 11 czech seed beads until I felt they were proportioned with barbie. I put wire around the edges to make them stiff and not floppy, and then covered the wire with more seed beads.
I picked the colors for the wings because of the color of the barbies hair. Once the wings were made, I had to connect them to barbie, which I did with a wire "harness" that crosses her chest, and straps to the back.
Most of the harness is under her black velvet bodysuit, but there was some metal exposed, which I covered with some black seed beads to make them less conspicuous.
I added a butterfly necklace, which I used a lace pattern by Sandra D. Halpenny from her book. I used swarovski crystals though, not fire polished crystals, which changed it a little, but I wanted to match the fringe on her skirt. I also added some fringy armbands because they looked so bare!
Here's a picture of her skirt, which she doesn't need to keep her covered (because of the bodysuit), just to add more decoration. It is a netted skirt with swarovski and glass dagger fringe. I sure hope she has a good time in Maine!I do want to thank my husband, Brian, not only for putting up with my constant "how does she look now" questions, but for constructing the base on which she stands, and talking me out of my own ideas, which would have worked, but his looks better!
