Medina bird

2700 size 11/0 delicas...and more dog hair than I would have liked.  This pattern was designed for loomwork, but I square stitched it.  About 2/3 of the way through I discovered two-bead square stitch which would have made the work go a bit faster, but I didn't want to change the spacing.  Oh well, next time.  Being a beginner has its drawbacks. 

I learned a lot about needle and thread size on this project.  I realized that I should have been using a size smaller needle and probably size B Nymo instead of size D.  It took breaking a couple beads to come to this conclusion.  For this project, I did switch needles to John James sharps and I love them.  They last a long time and do not bend and break like the cheapo needles I was using from the big-box craft store. 

I also realized that I should have returned the Transparent Rainbow Inside Color Lined Candle Lit White (those would be the lightest color beads which form the thick scroll at the bottom) because even though these little guys are Delicas, this batch was just the slightest bit larger in diameter.  I didn't think that it would make a difference, but I can tell, particularly in the bird's eye and the scrollwork around the bird's tail.

The pattern is Medina Bird from FusionBeads.com.  I changed the clasp by square stitching two rows of beads for the base of each strappy thing to give a little more heft.  If you want to make this, don't buy the quantities they suggest.  Buy one bag of each color. That is all I needed and I have left overs of each color.