The Bead Spot

For as long as I've been beading, I've been wrestling with photographing my work. I've never been much of a photographer. Any good shots I have were the result of pure luck. One problem I have is that I have no idea how to hold a camera steady -- an absolute must when you're trying to get a photo of tiny little seed beads. My sister-in-law suggested I get a tripod, so I've put one on my to-buy list. However, even a tripod won't stop me from accidentally moving the camera when I click the shutter button, which clumsy me does just about every time I take a photo. So I went looking for a way to click my camera remotely, and what I've discovered is that I already have one -- on my iPhone. Did you know that clicking the "+" button on iPhone headphones will snap pictures? (Or at least it will on the iPhone 5 ... I don't know about other versions.) Now that I've found a way to hold the camera steady, I can start working on bigger things .....

Here are some books on beading and other crafts that I enjoy. I welcome any information on titles you enjoy as well, so feel free to comment, either on books within the list or your own favorites. Beading "Contemporary Loom Beading: A New Look at a Traditional Stitch," by Sharon Bateman. "Art of Seed Beading," by Elizabeth Gourley, Jane Davis and Ellen Talbott. "Beading in the Native American Tradition," by David Dean. "Little Bead Boxes: 12 Miniature Containers Built With Beads," by Julia S. Pretl. "The Beader's Guide to Color," by Margie Deeb. "Beadwork Creates Beaded Rings," edited by Jean Campbell. "The Beader's Bible," by Claire Crouchley. "Beadwork Creates Bracelets," edited by Jean Campbell. "Designer Beadwork: Beaded Crochet Designs," by Ann Benson. "Beaded Cords, Chains, Straps & Fringe,"  by Beadwork Magazine Other Crafts Basketmakin...

I recently received the sewing machine my mom told me I could have. We still have to attach it to the cabinet, but for the most part, it's just waiting for me to relearn how to use it. My sister-in-law suggested I visit  Tilly and the Buttons to learn. The site, as she said, is very thorough, right down to telling me how to set up the machine. I have plans to make clothes for my daughter as well as tear dresses and dolls, but I know I got to start smaller. Maybe by this time next year, I'll be a pro.

I took a not-so-short break from blogging -- but not from beading -- over the past few months. With a lot going on at my paying job, blogging kind of fell by the wayside. In the meantime, I've made a few bracelets (left) and necklaces with beads that I've had a long time, I've started two sets of earrings, and in the interest of being able to bead while my toddler is home, I bought a large container of pony beads and some string, hoping my daughter would be content with to string up those while I work on projects. It didn't work like I'd hoped. The first time I got them out, she helped me string up necklaces, but she wasn't interested in making them on her own. I guess she's still too young for that. I love spending the time with her as we string beads. I only wish there were more hours in the day so I could get done all the projects I want.

I'd like to make a wallet out of deer skin. For quite some time, I've had an idea of how I'd like for it all to come together, so one day last week, I made a pattern on my computer, printed it out, pinned it to the deer skin and cut the shape. Immediately afterward, I began second-guessing my idea. What if, I thought, because of the thickness of the fabric, I have to take more for the seams than I had planned? What if the edges look bad? What if my needles won't go through the fabric? All of those "what ifs" spawned offshoots of my original idea, leaving me sitting there, holding the deer skin and wishing I could make up my mind. In short order, my deer skin project grinded to a halt once again. I am determined, though, to make some headway over the next week.

I took home economics* in ninth grade, and for one of our projects, we made shirts. Mine was blue with short sleeves. It didn't turn out too bad. Back then, I wasn't all that interested in hand-making anything, though, so I have not sewn anything (except for mending the occasional errant button) since then. Now, though, I'd like to learn again. My mom is giving me one of her machines, and I can't wait to give it a whirl. Can anyone recommend a good book for learning to sew on a machine? I need to know it all: How to load the bobbin, how to cut a pattern, how to read a pattern sheet, etc. Thanks for any suggestions. *When I was in high school, it was still called home economics, or home ec for short. Younger readers might be more familiar with the name "family and consumer sciences."

I bought some dual-hole Czech beads for the first time a few months ago, and after a lot of wondering what I could do with these little gems, I created these bracelets. I like the way they look, but I feel like they're very simple. I'd like to get really creative with them. I need to do some thinking. Has anyone other readers tried this? If so, what did you make with them?