Timing Bead and Necklace Construction

Fabric necklaces embellished with paper beads seem to have "legs." When I wear them, people comment favorably and want to know how to make them. (See posts of 1/23/13 and 2/19/13 for description of assembly.)

Have timed some of the stages in necklace-making (in case I decide to sell them). Here are the numbers:

Paper Beads

Mark and cut paper = 20 sec. per bead
Roll and glue bead = 2 min. per bead for thick, glossy paper (might be less if paper were "conditioned")
Varnish bead = 20 sec. per bead

Thus, one could make about 20 beads per hour or better. Current necklaces are using 12 beads each.

Fabric and wool

Roll wool snakes for filling fabric tube = 5 min. per necklace
Cut, sew, and turn a fabric tube = 5 min. per necklace
Assemble and finish a 32" necklace = 25 min. per necklace

Thus, one could expect one necklace to involve roughly one hour's labor.

I may do a necklace using beads from only one sheet of paper

Beads from many different papers

The Origami Test

When researching paper-bead-making, I found several DIY blogs declaring the process to be "easy." In the library one finds quite a few children's craft books saying the same thing.

Offering bead-rolling as an Activity at the Adult Day Service where I volunteer seems to be another matter. Many participants find coiling the tiny triangles of paper a serious challenge.

Next time I offer a necklace-making project, I may introduce origami first. The two projects demand similar abilities:  sharp eyesight, fine motor coordination, and a sense of spatial placement for rotating objects.

Color and pattern, luckily, do seem to be easy for many people to enjoy. So that will be the aim of the project for now:  selecting and enjoying colors. And, with the help of interns, there should be a necklace for each participant before we're done.

Even the felted "stuffing" beads can be enjoyed for the intensity of their color -- prepared tufts of wool are on the left, finished felt "beads" are shown in upper right hand corner

Making paper beads requires a precise touch and a good grasp of spatial relationships

Folding origami cranes is similar to rolling beads -- fine motor skills and an eye for precise placement are needed

Paper Necklace

All ready for tomorrow's Activities session. Participants may want to continue work on the fabric and paper bead necklaces or make collages of jewelry.

(Necklace assembly was described in post of 1/23/13.)

Collage on jewelry box lid

Paper bead and fabric necklace

Collage elements to be offered for participants' use

Paper to be rolled into beads

Paper beads, fabric tube, and wool stuffing for making necklace

Supplementary Weft

Today, while visiting the Eugene Textile Center, I got to see an example of a backstrap weaving. The curator did not know what country the textile came from, as it had been donated as part of a collector's estate.

She did assure me that it utilized a weaving technique I've been researching. The technique results in patterning similar to pick-up weaving and is called "supplementary weft."

Giant Bead Demo

Making paper beads has a bit of a learning curve for some people. I've noticed my Activities participants struggle with the triangular pieces of paper -- there can be difficulty rolling the paper onto the bead evenly.

Tomorrow I plan to have participants make oversized beads by wrapping 20" triangles around paper towel cores or size 35 knitting needles. This practice mimics using drinking straws or nails as support for paper beads.

Practice for wrapping a paper triangle evenly around a nail:  Size 35 knitting needle

Paper beads with drinking-straw cores can accommodate a fabric-tube necklace

These paper beads were originally wound on a small finishing nail

More practice pieces using very large cores and triangles

Large triangles used for practicing compared with the small triangles used to make actual beads

Hands

I'm preparing a card-making activity. Another activities volunteer at our PACE facility is ill, and collages reflecting her life's passion seem a good subject.

What better symbol of a woman's love of stitching and fabric than hands? They evaluate texture, they hold material, and they stitch, all while extending offers of community.