I heard a joke once about a craft supply hoarder. Heck, it may have even been a true story. It went something like this: “She had a box marked ‘pieces of string too small to save’… and it was full.” It’s a sentiment that I can relate to all too well. What do you do with all of those bits and ends? Rachel at Lines Across came up with this scrap-friendly idea, using bit of material that might otherwise have been destined for the trash to create beautiful beads! I love the subtle texture they have, and how incredibly economical this bead-making method is! [how to make embroidery floss beads]
Project estimate:
- Paper or card stock scraps, on hand
- Embroidery floss, on hand or $1
- Mod Podge, on hand
Total: Free or $1
2 Comments
Sherry
I’d use plastic straws as bases. Or those rolled triangle paper beads as bases to get another shape. Use crochet cotton for textural variety. Make stripes with different colors of floss… Make sure the ends are especially well glued, a couple of the samples look like they might unwind… Lots of potential!
Andi
When I was teaching children’s art classes, that box of string marked “Too Small To Save” would have been a wonderful thing. My art teacher brain immediately kicked in thinking that a child could draw a self portrait and paint a generous amount of white glue where the hair should be and then sprinkle the short string bits over the wet glue.
Once dried, the string would give a really wild hair style. (Use the same technique to make fur for imaginary animals…) But better than that. I love recycling paper with kids and the tiniest bits of string can make really amazing additives to homemade paper.