She's Quiet and She's Happy

The Two Tailed mermaid has finally shut up and is quietly smirking...she has all of the beads that she demanded and even has a belly button decoration that even Madonna would crave. (By the way the mermaid is an outie if you have ever wondered.)

My next steps are to block the piece and square it up and then put on the binding. But those things will have to wait till after the 24th. My group, Women on the Fringe, is doing a workshop on Fiber Postcards and ATCS. We are hoping to inspire and create some more Fiber Artists. Our main focus is to introduce them to the art but not over stimulate them with too much. I am finding it hard to limit myself as to what to teach as there are so many techniques and ideas and methods that I want to share...I think we have limited it enough and still have kept the WOW factor. Will post photos and work created by our students in next post.

I even created a blog to announce the workshop.

http://postcards-atcs.blogspot.com/

Threading a Small Eyed Needle

I am beginning to wonder if needle makers who make very small eyed needles have an evil plot in mind....to cause beaders to have hizzy fits and feelings of eye failure, and hand and eye coordination depression. I have been spending more time trying to thread my needle than I am actually beading with it. I have waxed the end of the thread, spit on the thread, spit on the needle, cut the thread at an angle (or at least think I have cut the thread at an angle, who can see the end of the thread?) and it all seems in vain.

A friendly internet reader sent me the following "recipe for success."

Squeeze the cut and flattened end of the thread between the thumb and index finger of your left hand. You should barely be able to see the end of the thread down between your fingers. With your right hand, slide the eye of the needle down onto the end of the thread. The needle should lie in the little valley between your fingers with the eye positioned over the thread end.
Then, slowly roll your left thumb and index finger apart. As you roll your fingers apart, the thread will be forced upward and through the eye. Just be sure you hold the eye right atop the exposed tip of the thread, and be sure that the flattened end of the thread is aligned in the same plane as the elongated hole in the eye. Pull the protruding tip of thread the rest of the way through the eye and Voila! you're done.

She tells me that she threads needles for people in class using this technique, and she says she doesn't even have to look to get it right every time. YEA, RIGHT!

If I can't see the eye looking straight at it...then how in the world do you see it stuck between your thumb and your pointer finger?

I have ordered a desk top threader that is guaranteed to thread small eyed needles or your money back. Now they didn't exactly say what "small eye" is to them....so am hoping we are both thinking the same kind of small.

Well back to the beading...