By Special Request

I had this brilliant idea which turned out to be not so brilliant, until I did a ninety-degree rotation, and then it turned out to be, if not brilliant, quite workable after all.

I found a way that I really like to use seed beads to make a bail for a round or oval donut or go-go bead (donut with the hole off-centre).

I taught the class a few weeks ago, and then during last Tuesday's class, when I taught something completely different, two of the women brought completed (or almost completed necklaces) with their bails. 

I was pretty chuffed and if I had a camera phone, would have enthusiastically taken grainy photos to post here, but I don't, so I didn't, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

But I do have a pattern!

Donut Bail Pattern: $6 for a PDF emailed to you

Materials

   Size 11 seed beads in two or more colours

   Size 8 seed beads

   4mm fire-polished beads

   Size 8 Czech raindrops (optional)

I used the same technique in this kit, available in my Etsy store.

I have to finish all my class samples by the time I go to bed tomorrow night, and I'm not doing too badly.

What I usually do is make sketches and write notes and decide definitively what I will teach the next few months, and then every time I'm tempted to bead something just for fun (heaven forbid), I consult my list and notes and make something from the list.

This works about seventy-five percent of the time.

That missing twenty-five percent is generally a combination of "What was I thinking - no ways this could work!" and "Hey, this fresh out of the box brand new idea isn't bad - I should teach it!" and this go-round is no different.

I had a really cool idea for beaded beads which was incidentally also a great solution to the problem of what do I do with those very few, very pretty, very small, rather expensive sapphire rondelles, but they (the beaded beads, not the sapphires) just sucked. Uuuuugly and lame.

On the other hand, a bracelet just happened this morning, and I'm totally not complaining, except that now I need more rivolis, but that's a small matter.

I really should be all nose to the grindstone right now, especially considering those two beadingly unproductive hours in which I reaffirmed to myself that I'm an excellent parent as I watched my son's lacrosse game and incidentally garnered a really impressive sunburn. Who knew the games were so long? On the other hand, I did accomplish knitting, so there was production (part of a heel).

But not enough beading.

I'll post pictures tomorrow, unless I have a Class Samples Crisis.