"Dogeaters" - September's pick for Inspired By Reading Book Club

Thank you again, Andrew Thornton for inspiring me, once again, to explore outside my comfort zone - in my reading and in my jewelry design. This past month, we read Dogeaters, by Jessica Hagedorn. Well - everyone else read the book, I'm still working on it. It takes place in Manilla, in the Phillipines in the late 1950's and follows the lives of several different characters. I have difficulty following books that seem to jump from one character to another and continually look for a connection. I have renewed the book from the library and will finish. For now, for a better synopsis, you will have to check the blogs of the other participants.

I was touched by Rio's relationship with her grandmother. and particularly related to the scene where she is curled up under her "lola's" crocheted bedspread. My grandmother crocheted bedspreads for her three adult children. She would not give them the spreads until she had finished all three. I now have my mother's crocheted bedspread.

I knew as I read those passages that I wanted to create a crocheted design. I could have wimped out and just photographed some crocheted designs from the past - jewelry and afghans. Instead, I decided to try something new. My goal was to mimic the floral motif in my grandmother's bedspread. I lot easier with cotton thread, than wire.

                        

 After several missteps, I did create a flower motif I was satisfied with. I discovered that pearls are native to the Philippines, so I found some freshwater pearls in my stash for a center for my "flower".

                         

A necklace with more freshwater pearls finishes the look.

I think I'd like to try this again with 5 petals.
And... I'm also not sure I love it as a pendant - maybe a brooch?





BTW - that is my grandmother's amazing crocheted bedspread!


Please visit the other members of our group!

Mary Harding

Mary K. McGraw

Andrew Thornton, Laurel Ross, Connie Parsons and Allison Smith