unruffled, and beaded

When my sister and I were young we used to make beads by winding long triangular pieces of paper (usually cut from a magazine page) covered in messy glue around a knitting needle. Ah, we had to make our own entertainment in the dark ages...

For some reason that popped into my head the other day, and I wondered if I could do something similar with fabric?

Here are my first attempts, and it turns out to be an addictive hobby!

I've already made a bunch of them, which might eventually turn into a necklace or maybe just a bracelet...

Some are more tatty than others, but I think that's part of their charm. I wound the fabric round and then sewed (randomly) through the layers with perle 8 cotton whilst they were still on the knitting needle. I like the effect, which makes me think of the kind of utility quilts that women in India make for their families. Although no doubt if you were a neater person than me you could work out a pattern for the stitching.

They are brilliant for using small strips of fabric, even the patterns you don't like much, as you just get the colour but not the pattern showing.

They make me think of silkworms, or maybe they could be the chrysalises which patchwork quilts hatch from?

I've also finished another ruffled top, but (spot the difference) this one has no ruffle!

I made this one from 'ordinary' quilting cotton, rather than from a more textured fabric like the previous two:

http://molebags.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/ruffled.html

http://molebags.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/russet-tan-sludge-mud-prune.html

and as I suspected the ruffle wasn't 'ruffly' enough, even after it had been through the washing machine.

But ruffled or unruffled, I'm looking forward to wearing it over a long sleeved black top over Christmas. And maybe in the new year I should try a different pattern in my Japanese pattern book?