Monthly Make - February 2013.

 

Back in January I challenged myself to make a new item each month using my lampwork beads.  This challenge will not include using my beads for jewellery but other ways in which my beads can be used!  I am a bit late posting this (I know) but my make for February 2013 is a beaded windchime.

 

 

I found this windchime whilst browsing a local thrift shop and thought mmmm now this could be modified slightly with a few lampwork beads.  I took the windchime apart and decided which pieces I was going to save and placed the rest in a pile for the children to use in their sculptures (another story).

 

 

I found some very bright pink tigertail (I assumed that my daughter would probably pinch the finished article) and had a quick look through my bead box.  I needed to replace the plastic disk that all the windchimes thread into and managed to find a very interesting practice bead that would do the job adequately.

 

 

I took a length of the pink tigertail and threaded it through the holes in the top of the windchime and then back onto itself so it was double stranded.  To prevent the strands from separating I threaded pink seed beads onto both strands.

 

 

Whilst in deep concentration .... this happened to my wire ..... arghhhhhhh!

 

 

I repeated this for each chime.  I could have added the same amount of seed beads to each double strand but I decided to reduce the length of each one (as you can see from the main photo).

 

 

Many moments later ....... I threaded some tigertail through the middle of my focal bead (replacement disk) and attached a jump ring to hang my beads from .... to help create the jingle when they bang against the chimes.  Once the jump ring was attached I then placed the double strand from each chime through each of the four openings on the outside of the bead.

 

 

I finished the windchime by bringing all the threads together with a large floral bead.  I created a central dangle by threading the three round beads on top of a very sparkly crystal that captures the sunlight beautifully.  On reflection, I may tweak my windchime slightly and increase the length of the central dangle but it does make a very pretty tinkle when the wind catches it.  How long I will get to keep it depends on when my daughter notices it hanging from the tree outside my studio .....

 

Sarah xx

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