BEADING Bead weaving bdBeaded jewelry bd 3 min read

Bead Weaving in a Hurry: When Your Day Doesn’t Match Your Deadline

Cynthia Newcomer Daniel beadweaving artist and author or Modern Beaded Lace
Join us at Maker Festivals Colorado, the ultimate crafting extravaganza in Loveland from April 10-13, 2024, where the beloved Yarn Fest evolves with an exciting addition of beads and jewelry artists!

I don’t know if you’ve ever had one of those days. You know — the kind when everything goes wrong! That is my day, today. And it made my bead weaving quest a challenge!

This morning I sat down to make a pair of beautiful earrings from the book Modern Beaded Lace by Cynthia Newcomer Daniel. I wanted to add to my beading skills for the benefit of my new job as well as create something for a wedding I have to attend this weekend (a solid deadline). Trouble is, I can’t seem to get anything accomplished!

The wedding is in Iowa and I would be showing off my new beading skills to my family and friends. I wanted something that looked elegant—as if I spent hours on it, but needed to find something I could make in no time at all and within my skills. I grabbed Modern Beaded Lace which contains projects that look like they take a lot of time and skill, but are mostly beginner ready.

Bead Weaving in a Hurry: When Your Day Doesn’t Match Your Deadline

I was thinking I would just get them done quickly and then have time to finish a couple other projects before I left for the weekend. It turns out the universe was conspiring against me and everything that could go wrong did!

I started by picking out a pattern, the Hypnotize Me Earrings immediately caught my attention. They not only looked elegant and would match my dress, but also were a beginner level with only one technique listed. It was as if the universe wanted me to find those earrings. Finally, things were going my way and I would have some earrings in no time at all.

Bead Weaving in a Hurry: When Your Day Doesn’t Match Your Deadline

Now that I’m looking back, I laugh at how optimistic I was this morning.

Where My Day Went Wrong

I started my day by digging out some beads to use from my stash. The pattern calls for neutral tones, so I figured I could easily find the materials I needed. I did have the beads; they were just in premixed containers. I dumped out two bags of different mixes and then picked out the ones I actually needed. Time was flying by.

Bead Weaving in a Hurry: When Your Day Doesn’t Match Your Deadline

A meeting popped up that I needed to attend but didn’t have on my calendar. I kept telling myself it would be all right, I had a whole day to accomplish very few things on my list. I would just start again after the meeting and then maybe attempt one other project. It would all be fine.

Wrong again! I got back to my desk and started beading. The earrings call for a modified right-angle weave, but for some reason my tension was not holding snug! I had to keep going back and reworking the thread to get it to sit correctly. Minutes were ticking off the clock and I was making no progress.

Bead Weaving in a Hurry: When Your Day Doesn’t Match Your Deadline

Do you ever have days like this? Days when little tasks pop up and distract you from a project? It felt like every time I started again, I would forget where I left off on the earrings. I would start again then pull out an entire round, not once, but twice! I finally decided today was just not working. I got some coffee, sat back, and began to work on what I could do differently so I could be successful.

When I Just Couldn’t Take Anymore

As I sit here contemplating it all, I can’t help but wonder how I got to this point. My needle sits with size 15 beads, which I’m now unable to attach because my string is woven around extra beads in the project. I sip my coffee, now cold, and think about why I started this project in the first place.

Bead Weaving in a Hurry: When Your Day Doesn’t Match Your Deadline

In college, when writing a paper, other work would pile up. I would feel stressed out and even more would go wrong. I would lose my passion for the topic and just want it done, accepting it wouldn’t be my best. After a cup of coffee, some movie binging, and a short (actually long) nap, I would remember how interested I was in the paper I was writing. I would find my passion again and this would encourage me to fix any problem and finish!

As I continue to write and reflect on this beading project, I find myself eager to get back to the earrings. The day may have slowed me down, but I know what I’m doing. I remembered how cool it would be to show off these elegant lace earrings at the wedding. How awe-inspiring these earrings would look finished. I start again, not letting this day destroy my passion.

The projects in Modern Beaded Lace are elegant and much simpler than they look. However, I can’t guarantee the universe won’t conspire against you. When frustration takes hold, take a break. Get some coffee (or some pumpkin spice tea!) and remember why you started in the first place.

Happy beading!
Marissa Bouska
Assistant Editor, Beadwork magazine


Find Modern Beaded Lace and other amazing books to show off your bead weaving skills, in the Interweave Store.

 

  • Beaded Lace: How to Make Gorgeous Beaded Lace with Seed Beads And Your Favorite Off-Loom Bead-weaving Stitches

    $24.99

  • Sale!

    Beadwork, April/May 2017 Digital Edition

    $14.99 $5.00

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