Family Beading Fun: A Kid-Tested Project Idea

re: Family Beading Fun: A Kid-Tested Project Idea

Sandra Mac — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:02:27 GMT

I loved hearing about your macrame fun. Yes, children just love macrame once they get the knots down they do not want to stop. I use all sorts of stringing material from yarn to waxed cotton. The waxed cotton I can get at Micheal's but it only comes in natural and black.

Sandy from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

re: Family Beading Fun: A Kid-Tested Project Idea

ChristineT@24 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:15:49 GMT

Walmart....of all places...They actually have it there. My girls also like to use different colors of dmc floss and speaking of floss...they also use dental floss in a pinch...we went camping recently...and that was all we had!! It worked great!! Christine http://BeadedIndulgences.etsy.com

re: Family Beading Fun: A Kid-Tested Project Idea

Margie@47 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:42:02 GMT

Back, way back, when I was a kid, we vacationed in Ocean City, Maryland. A round, strong cotton string was very common - the duct tape of yore. We used square knots and four strings, the same as the survivor bracelet given on July 9. The difference was, ours were "shark strings" to wear around an ankle. They must have worked, because we were never bothered by sharks. Then, again, we were never bothered by elephants, either. Back then, we never gave that a thought.

re: Family Beading Fun: A Kid-Tested Project Idea

Margarita@10 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:35:49 GMT

I've been working with macrame over 20 years, but my experience has been only with Russian materials. When I moved to the U.S. , I was so happy to discover a new type of cord for me in Polished Hemp. I have been working in hemp (bracelets, watches, necklaces, rings, and children’s items) and it has a huge variety of colors. It's not scratchy or rough and is very strong and does not fall apart plus It's been very fun to work with many styles of hemp.

re: Family Beading Fun: A Kid-Tested Project Idea

Jean Campbell — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:06:39 GMT

Waxed linen is a very common stringing material. Most local bead shops carry it, and you can probably find it at other craft shops as well. I've found it to be very durable, but not very colorfast if the wearer insists on swimming, sleeping, waterskiing, showering, and whatnot with the jewelry on like my kids do! Their deep red macramed pieces are now more rose-colored.

Good luck!

Jean

re: Family Beading Fun: A Kid-Tested Project Idea

ChristineJ@18 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:31:13 GMT

Actually, I *love* this idea (especially for the kids). However, we do not like hemp, and hemp is all I can find. I've looked in all the local stores, my usual supplier, and online. Where does one find waxed linen? And what widths do we need? We have a variety of beads, from seed beads to big wooden beads (I prefer the medium to small sizes beads). Is this something that will be very durable, and color fast?

re: Family Beading Fun: A Kid-Tested Project Idea

SharonS@94 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:43:05 GMT

Using memory wire is a good medium for all ages and can be done by beginners. You only need the wire, a stash of beads, a strong wire cutter and a good strong pliers to bend the wire into a loop at each end of a bracelet or necklace.

Sharon