Here is my new Pentecost bead going through the first step of the rolling process.View the post above to see the cane before it is rolled. When I roll the cane, as you can tell, it stretches more on the outside than it does on the inside. This is why it is virtually impossible to keep the exact image that I start with. Inevitable, something changes. But I can't always predict what is going to change or how much it will change. It has taken a lot of trial and error to get the beads to where they are now (13 years of trial and error with polymer clay!). The most exciting part of the bead making process is slicing the cane after it has been reduced. The image inside is always a surprise!
Here you can see how the bead changes in appearance as the cane is reduced. 
And finally, the Pentecost beads. Can you just picture them above the heads of the Apostles and Mary in the upper room? The amazing thing about this bead is that the circle around the dove's head came out perfectly. This never happens to me!
And finally, my Valentine gift from my hubby. We had this old cupboard in our basement when we moved in, but it was in bad condition- until my wonderful husband refinished it for me! What a wonderful 
I just love the new handles! He's the best!P.S. click on the blue print to see the enlarged photo
6 comments:
Okay I FINALLY understand how you start with a big image and end up with beads. Thanks for showing all the different-sized rolls. That helped a lot.
Did you invent this technique?
FABULOUS!!!! I too finally get it. But how many beads can you get from that cane? And how ling does the process from beginning to end take. More details please. PS: This is one of your best beads ever. Congratulations.
Pax Christi.
Yeah- the "aha" moment has arrived for you, Allison! People who have seen me do this for years still don't get it- so I'm glad you understand now. No, I did not invent this technique- it's actually developed after the ancient art of millefiori which started in the 7th century with glass beads. Here is a link to a wikipedia article (sorry for using that notorious site-it's the first one that popped up) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millefiori You gave me a good idea to do a blog on the history of Millefiori- sometime in the future :) also, this is a good question for me Q and A page :)
@Mujer Latina- also a good questions for my Q and A page (which will be soon, I promise!). About the number of beads- I've never counted, but I estimate this particular cane should yield about a thousand beads. About the question of how long it takes from start to finish- again, I have never counted the hours and if I had to estimate- I would say about 10 days- from start of making cane to finishing every last bead. The most tedious and time consuming process is the slicing of each bead and punching wholes in each one. This is why I make the cane, slice and make a few beads, then it sits in my storage until I find time to make the rest of the beads. I am really bad at procrastinating when it comes to the last step :O
Here's another question for your Q&A: How does the polymer clay stay soft during the process? How do you harden the clay once each bead is ready? PS: Love that Confirmation bead!!
This is truly fascinating - and what a gorgeous bead!
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