Children Cross Stitch and Bead: Moving time is here

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     Keeping the grandchildren busy will be interesting. For the moment, they are at the pool and diving off the board. I had picked up a cross stitch sampler kit for Hannah and a purse of glass beads for Erika. Both were busy and content for hours. Last night I showed Hannah a book of samplers made by little girls and the kit says cross stitch goes back to Egyptian times. I suggested she do one letter to see if she should wait a year until she is 8. But she found it easier than I did. Erika whipped out a lot of rings and bracelets, but stepped on her needle. She wasn't crazy about needles before this and is less so now!

Beading for Beth's Birthday

At beading Thursday, Nita showed a new "sapphire" necklace which reminded me of daughter-in-law Beth, whose birthday is this week. I immediately forgot all the thinking I had done about a gift she might prefer and ran immediately to the bead store. I bought some beads that turned different colors under different lights. That would not do. Back to another bead store where I found the stable "sapphire" string that stayed the same color. ( you can click on the necklace)

I got out my unused bead tray (I had boys, seldom wear necklaces, and barely know how to make them). I lined up the bigger beads, alternating 5 seed beads between them and started stringing on beading wire (6 lbs strength) until the length was 17 inches and the clasp would make 18 inches. I used a beading needle with a big hole in the middle to run the tiny wire through sterling silver crimpers, up through the clasp hole and back down through the crimper and into some beads. After pulling firmly I crimped with the crimper's funny hole first and then the round crimper hole to finish. I learned to leave the ends of the strings on until I was sure all held together, since the first necklace fell apart. But artists don't give up. I next performed extra security with an invisible knot and some clear fingernail polish and clipped the wire. The earrings, are just headpins and beads with the pin end wrapped around needle nose pliers and twisted to make a loop to attach to the earring findings, which I opened, inserted the loop and then closed off.

Making Music at Beading

Thursday is beading day. Nancy and Nita made necklaces, I put together five sets of earrings, and the other Linda worked on her charity quilt. Two of us were on the road. Nita's necklace looked good on me and my birthday is coming up! She found these beads in Belmont; strung them on a strong but flexible wire; put little stones between the big ones; added clasps, stringing the wire through crimpers, the clasp circle and back through the crimper to hide the end of the wire in the bead. After testing, she will crimp (squeeze the little crimper "beads" with the proper tool) and cut off the beading wire to a length to hide it in a bead at both ends of the necklace. I saw something similar but not so pretty or perfect for moi as this in Tiffany's window.

At each of our plates, Nita, placed her fifth grade granddaughter's new CD. How neat that Emma can write songs and sing so thoughtfully at her age. Emma rocks!

Of course, I may have to make a bird like this out of heavy clay. Just love robin redbreasts toting campanula! And there were baby birds in a house outside of Nita's front door, sweet mouths wide open.