Beading
With all the hoopla about beads in recent years, and all the bead stores
and so on, I see very little in the way of applied seed bead work out there
on the streets. (Maybe because it takes those old outmoded values of time,
patience and skill to do well?) It is one of the most wonderful of the decorative
arts and gives an aura to clothing or gear that nothing else can.
This is a great pastime which will yield wonderful results which you can
use yourself or give away as gifts. It doesn't cost much to get into, certainly
not proportionate with the results, and can be easily stored in a small
space, or even carried with you like knitting (although you will need a
space to work). Mainly the process is so absorbing that your mind is just
occupied enough that you will leave daily cares, or even important difficulties,
behind. If you think you are drinking, smoking or eating too much , or biting
your fingernails or something, this will be an excellent way to keep your
hands busy so as to slow you way down. Substitute this great new habit with
the bad old one at those times when you are at your worst (like cocktail
hour or a time when you snack) It is a pastime which will use up time that
isn't much good for anything else. Like TeeVee time. (BTW some like to keep
the tube going and look up and focus on it occasionally so as to keep the
eyes excercising.
Here are a couple of recent efforts which I will make presents of for Christmas.
Shirt pocket. Deaths head moth (36 k) (91
k actual size)
Shirt pocket. Garden tiger moth (36k) (88k
actual size)
Although because my small bead palette wasn't wide enough here and I
"had" to use a few larger #11's, I really prefer smaller seed
beads...#13 s,14 s at least. My prejudice is that a piece done with small
beads has more "mystery". The downside is it takes a lot longer
time to cover the same area, and the needles are harder to thread and handle.
There are some really small beads...like 20's ! which appear to be grains
of sand to the unaided eye. Go for it :~)!
To see what is going on with beads these days, have a look at a book called:
The New Beadwork
Kathlyn Moss and Alice Scherer
©1992 Abrams Inc.