Making beads

I've been making beads for embellishment of a book I am making.  The colour palette is black and white with a touch of silver glitter, so for the beads I used white crochet cotton, black crochet cotton, and some silver-edged organza ribbon and silver thread.  To make the beads, I wound the crochet cotton round and round a PVA-brushed straw keeping the thread close together, until it was long enough - each one a different length.  I added more PVA glue over the top to hold it in place - being clear this was no problem.  With the ribbon ones, I wound small pieces of the ribbon around and wound the silver thread over the top; again finish with more PVA.  I find three or four beads will fit on each straw comfortably, and then I slip the straw over the top of a wooden skewer stuck into a sponge.  These can sit until the beads are dry.  Usually they slip off the straw but if they don't you can just cut the straw.  This is a technique I learnt at Marden Senior College in Cert 3 Visual Arts (Textiles), with Suzanne Gummow.

Hand-made beads 

©Christine Linton