Making It: Programmes 27–39
Programme 29: Thobekile Creates Bead Jewellery

Aims

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.

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.

Curriculum Relevance

Art – collect visual and other information, develop patterns and designs

Background

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.

Activities

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.

Links

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

Making It: Programmes 27–39 Programme 29: Thobekile Creates Bead Jewellery