The Bead Spot

Kids Facemasks Made by My Mom At the beginning of the pandemic, back when everyone was fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitizer, I found a mask pattern online and bought several fat quarters and sewing supplies. I planned to make masks and hand them out to my family. But I am no pro at sewing. I wasn't even sure I bought the right stuff. Additionally, my full-size machine isn't usable, so I dragged out a mini sewing machine I bought at Aldi to use on my first mask. Two hours in, I was so frustrated that I just left it a little less than half finished. I've been telling myself for months that I would complete at least the one mask. Maybe one day. My mom is much, much more skilled at using a sewing machine. She has easily made 50 or so masks, and kept cranking them out long after every member of our family had one and at least one backup. So, I think I might work on a few lanyards. My supervisor at work gave me a lanyard to use for putting my face mask on as needed at wo...

My husband and I have had some marathon TV sessions over the last couple of days, catching up on season 2 of Netflix's Ozark and giving Hulu's Light as a Feather a shot. We still have a couple of episodes of Light as a Feather to go, and I'm really enjoying it. It puts me in a Halloween kind of mood. While we're watching, I've been beading. So far, I've made one and a half pairs of feather earrings, and I can't be sure, but I think I might be getting a little faster at it. Or maybe it just seems that way because binge watching seems to make the time go faster. Once I get the second pair of earrings completely finished, I will list them and a couple of bracelets in my Etsy store in hopes of getting a few holiday sales. Fingers crossed. Do you binge watch while beading? What shows do you like?

Feather earrings, made by me in 2017. How many pairs of earrings can I make before Saturday? That's the question I'm going to try to answer in the next couple of days. I've been focused on bracelets for months, but I'm shifting gears. Today, I was talking with an aunt who also does beadwork, and she sells a lot of it. I asked her what sells the best; she said earrings. With that in mind and with an arts and crafts festival coming up Saturday, I'm going to see how many pairs I can churn out this week, then see if they sell. If they do, I may try to make even more for the holiday season to sell in my Etsy store, Beadwork and Woodwinds .

I don't have a whole lot to write about this week. I'm still just making some peyote stitch bracelets in a diamond-back pattern, though I realized too late that the last two I made were too big for most women's wrist. This morning while I was in the shower, I had an idea for a way I could salvage one of the bracelets by adding places for it to "clasp," which would essentially make it adjustable. I was so proud of myself ... and then I thought about how that would when it was done. The unused clasps would be smooshed underneath the band. That would look just awful. So I started making another bracelet, and this time, I'm going to stop stitching at 6.5 inches. Perhaps some large-wristed woman will take an interest in the one I completed. Or maybe a small-wristed man will take an interest in it. Or maybe I'll just take it apart and start again.

I've had a productive past couple of days. I finished a bracelet that I've had "in progress" since about May, and I created a lanyard for my reading glasses. I also started a second bracelet. The lanyard is just for me. I've been wanting one for a while now to make accessing my reading glasses easier. But the black and blue bracelet ... well, I can't decide if I want to list it at my Etsy store . See that small bend in it? That won't be noticeable to someone wearing it, but if a buyer doesn't notice it from any photos I put on Etsy and bought it, would she feel cheated when it arrives in the mail? I don't think it would bother me, but I don't know how someone else might feel. Anyone want to share their thoughts? Reworking this bead blog In the coming weeks, I plan to revamp this blog some so that it's a little more navigable. I also had some thoughts on beading videos I can do. Please feel free as I tweak the site to let me know ...