Monday, February 23, 2015

Two Bead Making/Teaching Weekends



Uber Crafty at Stacy's House in North Jersey, Feb 7

Thoughts from teaching at "Uber Crafty"
1. Even if someone has made a bead once or twice before, it is likely a good idea to still go over the basics with them, especially having them go through the motions w/o fire first. I think that might have helped in one instance. One mistake that beginners often make is that they turn the mandrel the wrong way. Sometimes this can be difficult to correct, because they end up forming a habit pretty fast. A way to help fix this might be to ask the student to follow my voice instructions as I walk them through step by step the process of making a bead,  guide the student's hands, or take over the job of applying the glass, so the student can concentrate on winding the mandrel in the correct direction.
2. I find it really nice when other bead makers give me small tools or special kinds of glass to let me try something new. This has a very encouraging effect, and I'd like to see if this is something I can try doing. Perhaps I could let people play with some of my twisted stringers? That might be a nice thing to give out to let people who cannot make them yet have fun with them.

Making Beads at Valentina's House in Delaware, Feb 14



                                    Beads made on Feb 14th.

This beadmaking day was organized by Carowyn to make beads for a necklace that woudl be given to TRM's to use as a gift during their travels to other kingdoms. It was fun to work on a project with others! I'd love to do something like this again.

Sunday, February 15, 2015