A new technique in my arsenal

Embellished Double MRAW

I'm still working on my piece for the Battle of the Beadsmith; I've finished the bead embroidery part and begun the beadweaving bits. The embroidery took a lot longer than I'd anticipated, so I'm hoping that the beadweaving will go faster than expected. It's only fair, right?

One of the best things about doing a contest piece is having time to experiment and try new things; for this one, I'm playing with MRAW.  If you've already started doing it, you'll know why I'm so excited about it. It's a wonderful technique that combines RAW and Peyote stitch into a single thread path. Not only does it make keeping a good tension in RAW easier, but it's a real time-saver; and, with only four more weeks in which to finish my entry, I'm appreciating that a lot right now.  I found out about MRAW in this video:

MRAW Bellyband & Tri-Wing Ring, 

from Contemporary Geometric Beadwork by Kate McKinnon. 

Of course, being me, I couldn't just leave the original stitch alone and call it a day; this little picture is what I'm calling Embellished Double MRAW, and I'm using it as a structural element in my Battle entry. I'm doing my best to stay focused, but it's hard. MRAW has really made my creative juices run, and I can't wait to start beading up all the ideas that are swimming around in my head.

Have you played with MRAW yet?