Fancy Beaded Scissor Fob

I love pulling out My Beading Stuff every once in a while to see what I can come up with using a little of this and a little of that. I realize that this isn't technically a needle project since I don't use any needles, but I figure any needle project worth its salt requires a good pair of scissors, right? And what's a good pair of scissors without a Fancy Beaded Scissor Fob?

Up until now, I would have answered that question by saying that it is still a good pair of scissors and I have survived just fine with my plain old scissors. But now that I see them all dressed up, I feel the sudden urge to find something, anything, to use them on! They are too pretty to leave alone!

So here's how I made my Fancy Beaded Scissor Fob:

First I gathered My Beading Stuff -- all the usual suspects: beads, spacers, charms, lobster claw clasps, plain old naked scissors, spool of monofilament also known as fishing line (I love the stuff).


Then I cut a length of fishing line about 4 feet long and doubled it over. I picked out the charm I wanted to use which you can see is a pretty little antiqued silver fleur de lis in a circle. I put the folded loop of the fishing line through the ring that was attached to the charm and pulled the other end of the fishing line through the loop. Then I proceeded to arrange my beads and spacers to my liking. The above picture was one of my first attempts which I decided I didn't like, so I took all the beads off and started again.


This is what I ended up with, just a simple single line of tastefully arranged beads in different shapes, and some pretty silver filigree beads in between. I threaded a crimp bead on last and then threaded the loose ends of the fishing line through the loop of the lobster claw clasp. Then I knotted the line twice, making sure to leave the beads loose enough to hang freely, and then threaded it back through the crimp bead again and through the next several beads to hide the end of the fishing line. Then I crimped the bead, trimmed the loose end of the fishing line and there you have it.


Now doesn't that pair of scissors look happier all dressed up fancy? This was an easy and fun project to make, using some of what I had on hand and a few items purchased with this project in mind. It only took me about an hour to make, and that included stopping to take pictures and arranging my beads quite a few times before deciding on the final design.

Wouldn't this make a nice gift for a special stitcher, or for your sewing circle Christmas gift swap, or even an easy project to mass produce for your school craft fair?

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Another Handy Helper -- from DMC

Just the other day I discovered another handy helper for anyone with fine motor or grip issues, such as carpal tunnel, or sight issues such as happens when you pass that 40th birthday milestone. We all know that giving up our handwork just isn't an option, so we have to find things to make it easier to continue what we love to do. I discovered inexpensive drugstore reading glasses quite a while ago, but my newest discovery is from DMC, the embroidery floss people.

I was working on the sample book cover for the embroidery class I will be doing at the Children's Library this summer. I had chosen DMC Perle Cotton for the thread and was having a heck of a time threading my needle the old fashioned way. After breaking both thread AND needle trying to use those little tin needle threaders, I headed back to my favorite craft store determined to find better needles and something to help me thread them. This is what I discovered...


It's a 3 in 1 needle threader for fine, medium and heavy threads or yarns, and it works on short or long eye needles. I found, in combination with the size 22 DMC chenille needles, that this was just what I needed to sail through my embroidery sample.

It is sturdy and well made. I found it to be very easy to hold and use, and not very easy to lose, unlike the little aluminum needle threaders I was trying to use and kept breaking.

This one cost me $1.99 and would have been a bargain at twice the price. Do you have any little notions or tools that make your handwork easier or more enjoyable? Leave a comment and let everyone know about it!

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