Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-29
To Make Bead Chains,

THERE is great vogue at present
for chains Of all sorts.
Indeed, none Of the new chains ara
worn with evening frocks. For even.
ing wear the chain Of real stones il
preferred
Inere is comparatively little in.
trinsic value to any of the bead chains
the ones made Of big beads as well
az the soutoirs made of small beads.
The whole charm of them lies in the
color combinations and the grouping
OF beads. And as they are compare.
lively inexpensive they may be pos
sessed In the plural-so that one may
wear different chain with each
frock. IL one wishes.
For instance, with a thin frock OF
white and apple green and black one
might have a chain of apple green
and opaque white beads strung on q
black silk cord. For a white frock
one might have pink beads and white
bone ones strung on a silver ribbon.
For a frock of lemon yellow one
might have brown carved wooden
beads, strung on brown cord, with
perhaps violet pendant
At all events, it is quite possible TO
have several Of these chains, and then
it is obligatory with the necessity to
be we'll dressed to wear each chain
only with those frocks with which It
looks WELL
II you make them yourself, these
chains Of beads, the best thing to do
is to look about in the shops at those
all made up, and then look for the
beads. You can usually get them at
an oriental department in a depart
ment store
Now, when you have seen what kind
OF chain you want and then have seen
what kind of beads you can make it
from you can begin to work
1t is only possible, in most places, to
get rather heavy sort of silk cord
to work with. This will do, how
ever. for many Of the beads. BE sure,
though to buy the cord first and then
buy beads you can string on it, 1t is
possible usually to work the hole Of
wooden beads bigger, with knife or
scissors blade. But the glass beads
must be used as they are. Sometimes
you can pull out the inside of the
silk cord and cut it off for an inch
or SO at one end, and string from this
end. This makes the cord thinner, and
by waxing it or moistening it you can
work 1t into a comparatively small
hole. 1t Is practically impossible to
use a needle with this silk cord. as
the needy only serves to make the
corod bigger.
The approved way OF stringing tho
beads on silk cord is to put them on
in groups of three. each group sepa-
rated from the next by a space Of
three or four or Ave inches. You knot
the cord on each side OF the group of
beads, and that keeps them from slip
ping. Remember to allow a good deal
OF cord for this knotting, as il takes it
up. II you want your finished cord a
yard and half long, buy two yards
of cord for safety's sake.
Now when the beads are all strung
in groups and the cord is properly
knotted. so that the spaces between
groups are even, then 1t is time to do
with the ends. Often the
two ends are pulled through a big
bead, and then a silk tassel match
ing the cord in color Is sewede on.
the juncture being pulled into the
bead. Sometimes the two ends are
pushed through a nat little glass slide
or plaque, and the ends are finished
with q tassel or with two little strings
Of beads or else with some carved
wooden or hone o"ratrrrt