The Birds and the Beads

It’s show-and-tell time! First the birds: I had these UFOs (UnFinished Objects, for those not in the know .

And now the beads: Remember waaaaaay back in June when I took the Building Better Beads class with Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes? I came home from that with a handful of big beads that needed to be sanded and buffed. I finally got around to buying some sandpaper, and I did the deed this morning. Let me just say, these beads are so smoooooth, I can barely keep from stroking them all day long! I’ve never sanded my work before (I have a different finishing technique that has always worked well for me), and so I’m not used to it feeling like this. And see that shine? It’s not glassy, but it is a soft, satiny shine, and I got it just by buffing for a minute or so with a terrycloth towel. Not bad, eh? I’m considering adding a sanding step to my finishing routine, but only if I can manage to do it in a position that doesn’t leave my wrist feeling sore. I need to work on my technique

And lastly, something that is neither bird nor bead: A skirt for my sister. At the height of my skirt addiction, I asked Donna if she wanted me to make her one. She said she’d always liked eyelet fabric, but we never got around to shopping for any and the idea was practically forgotten. Until yesterday. I went to a sale at a fabric warehouse, where I picked up some insanely cheap eyelet fabric. It already had this built-in lacy edge to it so I wouldn’t even have to hem it. Pretty cool. So, I called her for her measurements (which I was instructed to burn after I’d used them ]

And let me just take the opportunity here again to gush about Sew What! Skirts. Using what I learned from this book, I was able to make a pattern and sew a custom-fitted skirt with just two little measurements from her. And now that I have this pattern made, I know what Donna’s Christmas present is going to be. And maybe her birthday present in February as well

Whew! I’m glad I got to do a little show-and-tell today. It seems like everything I’ve posted in the last week has been either a complaint about packing orders, or a description of some activity I initiated to keep the boys from tearing each other limb-from-limb It’s nice to have been creative for a bit!