While I was waiting to hear from my first sample-testing-mama about the wrap, I decided I’d make a beaded ornament. I haven’t made any since last year, and then I didn’t have time to make any real fancy ones. I like to have them for the December Roycroft show.
While there are similarities for sure, I design each of the ornaments individually. I’m pretty much forced to, since beads aren’t all exactly the same size – at least my beads aren’t. So the number of beads that is just right when using bead A is different from the number of bead B.
Getting step 1 done – to the black arrow – wasn’t too bad. I just had to figure out how many beads would go around the top, then how many to make it to the middle of the glass ball, making sure I had the number of hanging ‘strips’ that would work out for step 2.
Step 2 – to the blue curve – is standard beaded netting. All I had to do was figure out how many beads I needed in each section to hang down to the length that made sense to me. I did a 1-2-3-2 pattern, so the end was scalloped, with 1 being the shortest and 3 the longest.
Now for the last section, step 3, the part that would make the ornament special. I tried at least six different arrangements before I found one that I liked. That means string beads for at least one whole section (1-2-3) then take them out. Try a different pattern: string beads take out. Repeat at least four more times.
That’s why when people ask me how long it takes me to make an ornament I honestly have no idea. If I kept track of the time I’d have to charge a ton of money for each ornament, so I don’t keep track. Ya gotta love making these or there’s no point.
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