Tropicana by Margaret Lee

Palm trees swaying in the warm afternoon breeze, crystal clear blue water lapping at your feet, sunlounge in position and a margarita or a fresh glass of pineapple juice in hand, complete with one of those tiny cocktail umbrellas.

Sound good? We think so! In fact, pretty much everything to do with the tropics or the word tropicana is sure to get you in a good mood.

The project Tropicana by Margaret Lee is no exception.

In fact, it’s such an exquisite piece, Tropicana is featured on the cover of Margaret Lee’s wonderful new book, The Art of Bead Embroidery Japanese-Style 2.

Tropicana is an eye catching red zipped purse covered in a riot of beaded tropical themed flowers and leaves.

This design is every bit as fun, alluring, and vivacious as you would expect with a name like Tropicana.

You can instantly imagine yourself adding it to your ensemble whilst out to dinner on a dreamy tropical island, as you sport a frangipani flower behind your ear (just make sure you put it behind the correct ear though, left means you’re in a relationship, right indicates you’re single and available!).

Incorporating all the usual suspects you’ve come to expect from Margaret Lee like supreme creativity, skill and technical prowess, there are a few elements, however, unique to Tropicana that you seldom find in any embroidery design.

While floral patterns have featured in textiles in almost every culture around the world in one form or another, in this project exotic tropical ginger plants, ferns and flowers, provide the inspiration.

Ginger? We can’t be 100% certain, but it’s quite likely that this is the first project that we’ve published that features ginger as a hero motif!

Practical consideration as to the intended purpose has also been factored into the design. Finished as a zippered purse, any motifs situated along the spine will be subjected to heavier wear, therefore the density of beads and techniques used in this area are chosen accordingly.

Strong, bright colours, striking bold motifs and alluring textures combine beautifully to make this, a one of kind, attention-grabbing piece.

Blue colourway of Tropicana (top) stitched by Robyn Fererro

Whether you create your own version to take with you on your next tropical escape or bring a little exotic flair to your every day, Tropicana is all about paradise living.

Make Your Own Tropicana

All the materials you need to re-create this project have been sourced for you in our Ready-to-Stitch kit, with the instructions available separately in the book The Art of Bead Embroidery Japanese-Style 2.