Contemporary beaded throw

Hands-on time: Approximately 9 to 12 hours (I recommend doing this project in a few sittings).
Skill: Moderate.
Cost estimate: $15 and up per throw, depending on the cost of the beads (Cost of throw not included, may vary).

Materials & Tools

• A throw with a long fringe, (cotton, chenille, microfibre, etc.
• Muffin tray or ice-cube tray
• Wire cutters
• Regular florist wire to make a threading device and assorted coloured soft wire in 24-gauge for decorative accents
• Assorted beads in various colours: wood, glass, plastic, polymer or ceramic, preferably with a large opening. Smaller beads like seed beads can be used to ornament the strands.
• Other items, such as decorative flat disks (optional)

Keep warm and cozy for this project while getting hooked on beading. Turn a casual throw into a stylish contemporary decorative show-piece in just a few sittings. Use beads to co-ordinate, complement and enhance your throw.

First, decide on your design for the fringes, and try to repeat a pattern throughout the throw for a balanced composition. Calculate the number of beads you will need, depending on how many lengths of fringe your throw has. Some throws have a knot at the top of the fringe, and you can untie the knots if desired.

Placing the beads in muffin or ice cube trays keeps the beads organized and easier to manage while you work.

Cut a florist wire strand about 6 inches long and bend it in half. This makeshift device will serve as a threader to thread the fringes through the bead openings. This technique works for all types of fringe strands from one to several strands at a time. Place a fringe strand in the center of the threader and close the wires together, then pass it through the beads like a needle.

Experiment with variations and combinations of the following techniques. This is a learn-as-you-go project; discover what new designs you can come up with. Add several beads to a fringe, alternating the colours, or join several fringes through larger beads, or put smaller beads on one or more strands. You can even braid some of the fringes, and add a bead and tie a knot at the end.

To secure larger beads into place, tie a knot before and after the bead. Once a fringe is beaded, make a simple knot to secure the closure or garnish it with a piece of coloured soft wire and simply twist it at the end.

Use beads with larger openings for a full fringe. For medium-size bead openings thread 2 to 3 strands at a time. Then, use smaller beads to decorate the ends of fringes. You can also place small beads onto a wire and attach it to the throw.

Tips

• Beads are measured in millimetres. The size refers to the diameter of the beads. The smaller the bead number, the smaller the bead is.
• There are a variety of different shapes of beads available ranging from barrels, tubes, cubes, teardrops, bugles, flat disks, spears to triangular, faceted and round shapes.

Variations

• Over the March break, keep the kids busy with beading projects such as placemats, pillows and curtain fringes, shawls or scarves. They can even add a beaded fringe to ornamental lamp shades to decorate their room. To update my wardrobe, I even added fringe and beads to the sleeve cuffs of my shirts.
• Try incorporating a theme to your creations, like a touch of Zen with beads in tones of black, grey and silver with touches of red and cinnamon colours mixed with earth-toned and bamboo beads.

Note: This is a decorative throw and should be kept out of the reach of small children under the age of 3.