I’ve been quiet on purpose this time. The last couple of months I’ve been working on a rather large project, probably one of the largest things I’ve ever made (if measuring by mass) but I can’t post pictures here yet in case someone sees it before they are meant to see it… and it’s killing me!!!
What I can post is this picture of a Ball Dahlia I made recently… I will be publishing this pattern soon. I was hoping to have it ready this weekend, but as I was editing pictures I realized I’d forgotten to take pictures of some of the pieces, so it will take me a few extra days as I’ll have to remake them… but it’s coming soon!
Custom Bouquet Project
What I’m currently working on is a custom wedding bouquet! Here’s some pictures on how it’s going so far!
Super excited to see this one finished! I’ll be mixing in some raspberries, strawberries, and lavender with what I’ve already finished. Then the groom’s boutonniere will be made with purple pansies. 🙂 I love making wedding bouquets. They’re just so much fun. I’ll have more updates on this project later.
(Also, just a little reminder. If you are working on the Blueberry pattern from the Beaded Berry Collection and are having trouble finding beads or other pieces for the Blueberries, let me know and I can hook you up! I bought them in mass for the pattern packet project and I have plenty left over.)
A Mini Tip
Since I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had much time to put together more tips for you guys (I have a whole list of ideas that I want to get through, they all just take time), so I’ve just got a little one for today regarding Continuous Loops, and any other technique that has lots of twisting.
Some patterns call for hundreds of loops, and if you’ve ever done it you know how badly it hurts. It is the worst. Your little fingertips get so sore. Sometimes I get blisters. So, I recently found these little rubber finger guards, and I love them. They are made for guitar players, so they came as a set of 20, 1 for each finger on each hand. But I only need the thumb and forefinger for one hand, so I have an extra set for when these wear out.
What I love most about them is that the fingernails are open, and I use my fingernails to help measure and separate out beads for each loop. The first kind I used were rubber thimbles, but didn’t have the open fingernail and it made it a little more difficult to make loops the way I’m used to doing them.
It does take a little practice to get used to them, as they make your fingers a little thicker so it feels different while making the loops. I’m not sure if they will fit everyone, but I thought I’d pass it along anyways. They work with making tiny little twisted fringes as well.
If these don’t work for you, there may be something similar that does. I know of one lady who uses bandaids to protect her fingers, but I think we all know by now that I can’t do anything simply. And I think these rubber ones have more cushioning and grip than bandaids.
This is the link to the ones I purchased off of Amazon (not an affiliate link)