Thread the old needle and grab the beads, it’s star-making time

By Tim Goodwin - Nov 26, 2013 | 0 comments

The last look you will ever get at these stunning ear danglers.

The first picot takes shape, beginning the long journey to earring infamy.

With so many colors to choose from, it’s no wonder it took an entire eight-hour work day to finish the project.

Look at that concentration. There was no way the newest ‘Insider’ was going to fail at this challenge.

With just two different kinds of beads, a needle, thread and some good old fashion hard work, these priceless earrings are soon to be housed in the ‘Insider’ Hall of Fame.

The song played so clearly in my head as I walked into Bead It! last week.

That masterpiece by the late, great King of Pop himself was just stuck in repeat mode. While its title, Beat It, was one letter off from the place where I’d be taking my first-ever beading class, I’m sure you can all see why it was there.

I considered it my theme song for the afternoon. Since I had never used a single bead to construct anything in my life, I was determined to beat the odds and make something that wasn’t an embarrassment to the beading community.

But to be perfectly honest, I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the class, taught by Bead It! owner Donna Nordlund. It was advertised as a crystal snowflake class, so yes, for you wise guys out there, I did expect to be making some sort of snowflake creation, but had little else to go off of. Yet that’s the fun part of these assignments. Stepping out of your comfort zone and into the unknown. And really, what’s the worst thing that could happen with a few beads?

Upon my arrival, I was delighted to see a small class size. There would be a lot of personal instruction required for this guy, and likely a few redundant and, at times, not-so-brilliant questions on my part. It would also cut down on the chance of heckling from the more experienced beaders.

What I didn’t know was how many difficult questions there would be. First, I had to decide between making a star or a snowflake. They are both so majestic, how do you decide? I’ll tell you how – Nordlund sold me on the star when she said it was the easier of the two.

Then it was time to choose a color. What I had I gotten myself into? While the size 11/0 frosted white seed bead had already been picked out for me, which is good since the store houses about 2,700 different colors and sizes and I would have spent hours examining each one, I only needed a crystal to begin my first bead project. Since the end result was going to be for my wife (assuming it looked anything like a star) I went with red – or lite siam, to be exact.

Sitting back down at the table big enough for six students, Nordlund asked if I had any sewing experience. While my initial answer was no, I had almost forgotten about home economics class in middle school. I was a wiz with a needle and thread back then, and it only took a matter of time before it all came back to me. Oh, the memories.

With my needle already threaded using braided fishing line and my beads laid out before me, there was only thing to do: start crafting. While there were written instructions with pictures at my disposal that surely any age could follow, I felt more comfortable with Nordlund demonstrating. There’s no substitute for instructions from the expert, and I could use all the help I could get.

It all started by placing six crystals and six seed beads on the needle (rotating for a balanced design) that would turn into the center of the star after passing through each bead a second time to create a circle. It began to take shape, but I was far from done.

I’ll spare you the play-by-play details of each needle stroke, partly because I don’t remember them all and mostly because what I do recall consists of me humming Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit in my head. But for the sake of a few highlights, the next step involved adding three more seed beads to each of the existing six in a diamond shape. It is called a picot, but just look at my pictures and you will see what I’m talking about. Once I got through all six, bridging each of the six picots with another seed bead sandwiched between two lite siam crystals was next. (The photos tell a better story.)

At that point, I was almost done. All I needed was another round of picots to give my creation its final shape. A loop of seed beads at the top created the option to secure my star with a necklace or clasp and tying it off ensured the beads did not end up all over the floor.

Once I was done, I had a tough decision. Should I try my hand at a snowflake or create another matching star that could be turned into earrings? I chose the earring route, and having already completed one star, my confidence going into phase two was at an all-time high. I needed less instruction and asked fewer questions. (I’m sure Nordlund was happy about that.)

And when all was said and done, my earrings were the best ones ever made at Bead It! Okay, well I may have exaggerated that last point a little bit, but as you can see, they do look pretty darn good.

Maybe I will make all of my Christmas presents with my new-found skill. If that’s the case, though, I better sign up for at least one more class.