Making Beads Doing the Twist
There was a strand of beads that I really love nestled in among that long ago purchase.
Strand of Vintage Czech Glass Mottled Twist Brown Beads
I thought I would try to make a set out of ceramic clay. The tag gives a small clue on how they might be made. ( see text under photo above)
I tried rolling out some round beads and twisting them but that didn’t work. Then I got the idea that if they were first made into a 3-d disk bead that maybe that might work. That seemed to be the answer but the twist was more complicated that I had thought. I put my fingers on the glass Czech bead to get an idea of how to I would have to twist them. It was quite awkward as the fingers on each hand would have to go in the opposite direction. I persevered and the first set of beads I made is in the picture below.
Since I did not take into account that my clay shrinks 12% during the drying and firing process, mine are rather smaller than the original strand but I am happy to use them in some of my freeform peyote stitch work. I have a bracelet I am working on that they would go well with.
photo
I also made some in blue and white to see how they would look.
If I make more of the blue and white beads I think I will skip the white part and just have them in blue.
But the first set of beads– I am just crazy about the color and have been trying it on other pieces as well.
Small stoneware pendant by Mary Harding
I was quite happy with how the above pendant came out and surprised how the colors had morphed during the glaze firing.
So I tried it again on a larger piece and was more than happy with the result
Statement size pendant by Mary Harding trying out what i learned from the smaller one.
Statement size pendant by Mary Harding a variation on the one above
For me what works when I am creating is to follow my passion on however circuitous a route it takes me. In the end it will bring me directly to my heart and soul.
Thank you for stopping by and reading my post.
Mary
