Photo Friday: How I Work

I do almost all my crafting in our family room, usually sitting on the couch with my feet up. I have this tray with a vintage Coca-Cola ad on it that I bought a million years ago at a garage sale, never imagining it would become my crafting station. (Heck, back then, I never expected to be crafty.)

Since I've been playing with beading, that's what was left out on my tray. I'm using the pink silicone pad that's intended for using underneath a hot glue gun because it helps keep the beads from rolling away from me.

In the upper left corner are my bifocals, which are helpful while beading but absolutely, completely necessary for threading a beading needle. (Sigh. When did I turn middle aged?) Also some Nymo beading thread. The tubes and baggies of beads are pretty self evident, as is the scissors. The funny looking metal circles are a half-ball cover button kit (in case I'm not the only one who had never seen one before).

So there you go -- a peek into how/where I'm working. :)

Trying New Things

I love beads almost as much as I love fabric, but I've never worked much with beads.

Somewhere, I recently came across a link to Robin Atkins' blog, Beadlust. And oh, did it make me want to have even 1 percent of her talent! Well, that's probably never going to happen, but I did download a book she offers for free on her website, and I borrowed a book she co-wrote from the library: Beaded Embellishment: Techniques & Designs for Embroidering on Cloth

I'm so buying this book when my budget allows! It has great photos, great step-by-step directions, and an amazing gallery of beadwork by incredibly talented artists that make fabulous inspiration about what is possible to do with beads.

I was particularly inspired by the beaded button project, partly because I really liked the small nature of the projects.

Here's a photo of the page of examples:

Aren't they gorgeous?

I played around with some of the stitch lessons in the book and was delighted to learn how to make beaded fringe, something I've never managed before despite a teacher explaining it in an online class I took.

Then I launched into my first beaded button! I'd picked up the Dritz half-ball cover button kits at a great sale at Jo-Ann's, which was the only necessary supply I didn't have on hand already.

So here's my first try:

 I definitely have plenty of practice ahead of me if I want to reach that 1 percent of Robin Atkins' talent, but despite its flaws, I'm kind of happy with it. It reminds me, a little, of the eye on a peacock feather.

I wouldn't have had the courage to start a major beading project, but a 1.5-inch diameter pin was definitely less intimidating than a bigger canvas would have been.

What kinds of new things have you tried doing lately?