Heading for Houston

I know I have talked about this before but need to do a recap for some friends who are wondering why I want all their old, broken, junk jewelry. Why in the world would I want something they are ready to throw in the trash? Here it is!

Scheduled to open in Spring of 2012, the Holocaust museum is unveiling a new display called the Butterfly Project. The display will be created of 1.5 million handcrafted butterflies in almost any artist medium. These butterflies will represent the some 1.5 million children lost during the Holocaust. They put out a call last year for donations of handcrafted butterflies and I can't help but want to be a part of this. So in my free time I have been working on them since last November. Here is my process:
#1 I start by using a rubber stamp on a peice of felt and cut the butterfly out.

#2 This is where I use the old jewelry. Each butterfly has anywhere from 2 to 4 beads of sometime from someones broken, unloved items. Hey Noelle if your reading this the butterfly number 2 is wearing the black faceted beads you gave me! Sorry about that :) anyway, if I can get 2 usable beads out of a peice it has value here and how cool to know that something that at one time was yours will spend it's final day's in the museum!
I add however large beads I have for that peice deciding where they will go and stitch into place.

#3 Step three is to stitch some seedbeads around the large beads. Whatever pattern that strikes me and I do use a embroidery hoop to help stabilize it a bit while I am working.

#4 Add some sequins so that the butterfly sparkles when the light hits it and add a little beaded loop.

Last but not least a back each butterfly with another layer of felt. This makes the butterfly stronger and keeps it laying flat not to mention hiding all the stitches because by the time I am done, there are alot of them.

Now they just get added to the cardboard box just waiting for the day I decide to ship them out.
I started with a goal of 100 butterflies, not sure I will make it , each butterfly takes a minimum of 4 hours to make and I am rather slow these day's but I have until November 2010 to send them. Have a great day!