frothing from it's large hole

Caught in a huge downpour, I'm soaking wet - and at the office. Minor I suppose, drying off doesn't really take any work.

My beadwork is calling me. Unfortunately I'm at the office, and it's at home. It talks to me, calls me, begs me to play with it. I'm sure it would email or phone if I let it! The piece I'm working on now is going in an interesting direction. It's NanC Meinhardt's Super Froth Bracelet. It's the colours that I'm pushing, and the use of a large raku bead with fringe frothing from it's large hole, tassel like.

Another one I'm doing as a cuff, with an actual cuff link for the closure. In steel and silver greys. Looks like woven metal.

A third one exists only in my mind (so far...), lets just say its silver.

Curling Thread Cure

Is thread curling while you work giving you problems? Does it curl back and knot itself, leaving you to pick out in frustration? Beeswax and Thread Heaven letting you down? Try conditioning your thread with heat. Yep, time to dig out that curling iron from the 80’s (for some of us, the 70’s) and put it to good use in your beadwork.

Heat up your curling iron, and pull the thread you are going to use through it. It gets out the curls (very useful when you are near the end of a bobbin), and stretches it. It also stretches it right to the ends, and can make for easier threading. You then do NOT need wax or thread heaven, unless the pattern specifically calls for it. For example, some beaded beads use heavily waxed thread to add to the body of the bead.

This tip has proven particularly useful for Nymo, but less so for C-Lon (it tends to get stiff). Silamide, being pre-waxed, leaves a residue, so keep a tissue handy, and wipe down while the iron is still hot.