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Making It: Programmes
27–39
Programme 29: Thobekile Creates Bead Jewellery
After watching the
programme, pupils should be able to:
- measure and mark out materials;
- communicate design ideas in different ways, bearing
in mind aesthetic qualities, and the use and purpose for which the
product is intended;
- explore the sensory qualities of materials and how
to use materials and processes;
- assemble, join and combine components and materials
accurately;
- design and make assignments using stiff and flexible
sheet materials and textiles;
- use ICT to research aspects of design;
- know how the characteristics of materials affect the
way they are used.
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Thobekile pours tiny plastic beads into different
bowls: green, blue, yellow, pink and gold. She threads a needle
with strong nylon yarn and ties a knot at one end. She picks up a
sequence of coloured beads on the needle and pulls the yarn through
them. When the set of beads reaches the knot, Thobekile threads the
yarn back through the beads to make a loop. She adds other loops of
beads to build up an earring shape. She stitches her bead creation
to a 'finding', a small hook that allows her to wear the
earring.
Thobekile makes a second earring and then goes on to thread some
larger beads into a necklace. Finally, she tries on all her bead
jewellery and checks out her new look in the mirror.
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- Art – collect visual and other information,
develop patterns and designs
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Polished seeds, shells, stones and round pieces of
wood, bone, glass and clay have all been used to make beads for
jewellery. South African beadwork is used to decorate all kinds of
items, such as dolls, purses and bags, curtains and bottles.
'Friendship bracelets' use patterns of tiny coloured beads to send
secret messages: sometimes messages of love!
Beadwork has been found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs and
features in the art of many different cultures all around the
world. The oldest beads that we know about are from 75,000 years
ago and were made from tiny shells. They were found in 2004 in the
Blombos Cave on the very tip of Southern Africa.
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Make Paper
Beads
You will need: bright,
shiny paper (pages from an old magazine or sheets of wrapping paper
are great for this); plastic cocktail sticks; pencil and ruler;
scissors; pva glue and paintbrush. Reel of strong yarn and large
needle.
- Cut the paper into long triangles, about 3cm wide at
the base and about 30cm long.
- Place the brightly coloured side of a triangle face
down and paint the back of it with glue.
- Lay a cocktail stick across the base of the triangle
and roll the paper up around the stick until it reaches the point
of the triangle. You will form a long bead shape, which is fat in
the middle and tapers off to either side.
- Make as many long beads as you want and leave them
to dry.
- Make small round beads by cutting paper into
rectangular strips, about 1cm and 30 cm long.
- Paint the back of each strip and roll it up around a
cocktail stick as before.
- When all the beads are dry, slide them off their
cocktail sticks.
- Your beads are ready to be threaded onto a length of
yarn to make a necklace, bracelet or set of earrings of your
own.
Make Felt Beads
You will need: balls of
coloured wool; knitting needle; washing powder; bowl of hot water
and bowl of cold water; rubber gloves.
- Put on the rubber gloves. Dissolve half a cup of
washing powder in the hot water and swish it about until the water
is frothy.
- Cut a long piece of wool and pull it apart until you
have a ball of loose fuzz.
- Put the loose ball of fuzz into the hot soapy water.
Roll the ball tightly between your palms, then put it into the cold
water.
- Keep switching between hot and cold water until the
ball of fuzz has shrunk into a solid bead made of felt.
- Push the bead onto a long knitting needle.
- Make a set of beads and leave them on the knitting
needle to dry.
- When the beads are fully dry, gently pull them off
the knitting needle. They are ready for you to thread onto thick
yarn or thin elastic to make a necklace or bracelet.
Make a Drinking Straw
Bracelet
You will need: pack of
different coloured drinking straws; reel of strong thin elastic and
large needle; scissors and ruler; pva glue and paintbrush; bowls to
keep different colours separate.
- Cut each straw into tiny beads. Use a ruler to keep
all the beads the same size (about half a centimetre).
- Thread the needle with elastic and tie a large knot
at the end.
- Use the needle to pick up different coloured beads.
Take care to keep the sequence of colours the same each time you
load the needle.
- Pull the elastic through the beads until they reach
the knot. Add more beads until you have made a bracelet long enough
to fit your wrist.
- Make your bracelet into a circle and pass the needle
several times through the knot to join the two ends of the elastic
together.
- Cut off the needle and trim the loose ends of
elastic around the knot.
- Hang your bracelet on the end of a pencil and paint
each bead with a layer of pva glue. When it dries, the glue will
give the beads a shiny surface and help to strengthen them.
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A timeline that shows the history of jewellery from
Ancient Egyptian times to today:
www.fashion-era.com/jewellery.htm
A gallery of beadwork designs:
www.ams-creations.co.uk/beading/images/Creations/portfolio.htm
Loads of beadwork projects to try out:
www.kidsdomain.com/craft/_bead.html
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