Dolphin Dream

Dateline: 06/15/98


I've been wanting to do a dolphin pattern for a long time. Shannon Chaney wrote me a while back and mentioned that she had made the Orca bag for her daughter Megan and that she loved it, but what she really, really, really wanted was a dolphin bag! lol That gave me the push I needed to get started, so this pattern is dedicated to Megan Chaney, I hope she likes it! :-)

This bag is meant to be worked in tubular peyote stitch, you can find great instructions for this in Suzanne Cooper's Classroom. I suggest you either work the back in a solid color or continue the ocean and sky motif. I think this would look especially nice in Delicas, but seeds should work just as well.

Fringe Fish

Since it doesn't look like I will have time to actually make this bag myself in the near future, I can't go into full detail on the strap and fringe like I usually do. I do have an idea to share though. I thought of these "fringe fish" when I was working on the Orca bag, but they didn't quite fit into the design so I set them aside. I think they would look really cute interspersed amongst the fringe (branch maybe?) on this bag.

To make them, pick up a small teardrop and three seed beads and tie them in a circle. Go through the teardrop and the first seed bead again.

Pick up another seed and loop through the bead your thread is coming out of from the back to attach the new bead on top of it. Go forward though the second seed bead and attach a bead on top of it in the same manner. Do the same for the third bead.



Now go back through the last bead you added. Pick up a bead and go through the bead you added on top of the second bead in the first row. Then pick up one more bead and go through the bead on top of the first bead. Pull your thread tight, weave it in securely and snip.



You can make a bunch in different colors and just thread through the hole in the teardrop to add them to your fringe as you go. Have fun!

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As always, you are invited to write to me at beadwork.guide@about.com with any questions or comments you may have. I'd love to hear from you!

All text and graphics © Emily Hackbarth 1998

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