Form Follows Function

Looking around on facebook, I saw a wonderful thread with many lampworking tips and it got me thinking about one little lampworking detail that I think about a lot which is the first step in many bead style decisions, and that is- 'how will this bead hang?' I make a LOT of fish, so that's where I'll start.

If the fish has a vertical hole (as most of mine do), the front and back end need to be fairly well balanced. That means the front end of the basic body will be a little bit longer than the back end. Why? Because the back will have the fins and the tail added which, though thin, will add some weight. The side fins do not extend much past the hole, adding a little more weight to the front. Hopefully in the end it will all work out! One more thing; ever since my wind disaster, I have made my fish with the side fins against the body rather than sticking out to the sides. Much less fragile!

A horizontal hole on a fish is a bit more difficult for me. The bottom of the fish needs to be heavier than the top, so I mash it a bit unevenly and then try to extend the bottom a little more. Sometimes later in the process, when it's time to add the eyes, I can't remember or really see which is the top and which is the bottom. Today, I added a wee dot of clear at the top where I was planning to put the eyes. Problem solved~ now I wouldn't get mixed up later, and the clear does not mess with the design; I can just melt it and cover it up later. (thanks to Elizabeth Dauch for this tip)

Another new design change for those horizontal fish has made them work out so much better in my mind. No more worries about the tail being too fragile- it is now just another part of the bead.

One more thing- you might call this a pet peeve, I suppose. Both sides of any bead I make have a design on them. Why? Because they can flip over or be put on backwards and I feel they should still be nice to look at. Any time I put up a bead for sale anywhere online, I show both sides, and maybe even a side view.

There you have it~ one little step in the design of the bead that can be quite important. Or so I believe...

What's in a Name?

Just a short little bit of something- how about naming all those lampwork glass beads I make? Well, I don't normally name individual beads unless something just hits me. I figure the person who wants to wear the wee talisman will want to name it her (or sometimes his) self. But I can name a series or style of bead so- here goes.

A 'portal' pendant has a hole through the center. It could be a door to new ideas, or a new chapter in your life. I test marketed the name with my all knowing daughter who liked it because there are usually swirly twirly bits about, giving it that mystical feel. Sometimes these also have a bit of a wing along one side.

A 'mandala' bead has eight points- for the four directions and then one bump between those. I often find 'The Circle Game' by Joni Mitchell going through my head when I make these! If I make one of these beads with 7 or 9 points, they become 'kaleidoscope' beads. Sometimes they end up star shaped as well- when I just don't feel like waiting for everything to melt in!

'Glitterati' fish have a shiny center and shiny bits of green aventurine on the outside- for folks who just have to have a bit of bling !

"Cephalopod-esque' beads have a bit of a tentacle. They are not really meant to be any kind of animal, but are such fun for me to make, I just can't resist!

'Chrysalis' beads are stylized beads based on cocoons or chrysalides. Folks seem to like the rebirth and moving to a new phase in life implications in these. They are interesting to make~ often I feel hard to get quite 'right.' I don't make them very often these days.

The Technology of a Glass Button

Well, every time I start on a new or revisited project, there is something new to learn. Glass buttons have been an elusive thing for me. I've tried many times over the years, and always given up, normally in pretty short order. But this time, I feel like I've gotten a much better feel for the whole button-making process. There are two very difficult things about making glass buttons- getting the glass smoothly in the tiny space between the two mandrels, and making them round, or at least somewhat regular.

Because of the way the mandrel is made and turns and all of that, the natural shape for a two hole button is rather oval. In the past, I've tried to make them semi-round. But I have recently realized that that is not necessarily necessary! So my new buttons are sometimes oval, and sometimes not so much. I keep them in my etsy shop, alongside my glass whorls and other spinning supplies

Ah, decorative buttons are a thing! Who knew? Well, probably lots of folks, but buttons are not always functional. So, if a button is oddly shaped, it can simply be sewn onto a lovely fiber design as kind of an alternate form of jewelry.

The backs of buttons- well I was kind of going for flat. But guess what? Many buttons are actually curved on the back side as well as the front. Why? Well, I think it's because you have to be able to button them. If they are too flat on the fabric, it could be a no go!

And then someone mentioned weight. If the button is too heavy, it will pull things in some random undesirable direction. Hmmm... I wonder how heavy is too heavy?

And did you know that buttons have their very own measuring system? They are measured in lignes, with 40 lignes equal to 1 inch. The American National Button Society divides its buttons into 'small', 'medium' and 'large' sizes. But how many lignes is a large button? I will have to leave that to the experts!

Ready to learn more about the ins and outs of button history and technology? You can always find fun info on Wikipedia . There's also the Keep Homestead Museum in Massachusetts, which has a button collection and this treatise on buttons by Charles Dickens. Amazing!

Double trouble! Two glass whorls on one stick

Things have been moving along in the glass whorl department. I wonder if folks in medieval times had as much fun as we've been having exploring the spinning possibilities. I may have mentioned that my stick maker is somewhat of an expert on medieval spinning techniques. I wonder if those folks ever put more than one whorl on a stick. I'll just bet they did- why not? It's the next logical step when you're playing with whorls that can be moved from stick to stick, or when you need just a bit more weight~ or a bit less~ to keep things whirling around just right.

We've been pairing glass with more glass and with pottery~ the pottery adds a nice weight and the glass adds that little extra 'wow' factor. Since they are all removable, you can start out with two whorls, remove the glass when your yarn starts building up, and then remove the pottery and put the glass back on as things get even weightier! It's a great way to build up your cop ever larger. If one whorl is just a wee bit wonky, the other one can balance it out and make the spin just right~ it's all good!

It's been an interesting journey so far- matching the colors of glass with the pottery glazes can be a challenge. I just read something recently that said not all colors are available in glass~ no joke! So there's mixing and matching and blurring and all the fun things that can go with playing with colors.

And now let's see one of those double whorls in action!