Begin by cutting a bias strip of fabric 3 inches wide and the length needed for the edge you wish to apply the piping to.  Piece the strips together if necessary.

Fold the strip in half lengthwise, matching long cut edges, and press.

Cut a piece of cording a little longer than the strip of fabric.  I like to use #1 rayon satin cord (also called mouse tail) for my piping.

Place the cording down the center of the folded strip and make a second lengthwise fold, encasing the cording.  You will be bringing the folded edge over to match the two raw edges.  I use a 5-groove pintuck foot to make piping (a 3-groove foot works just as well).  Place the cording in the center groove and move the needle over just enough to clear the cording.  Stitch closely to the cording making sure to not catch it with your stitches.  Feel free to use whatever method you prefer for making the piping.

You now have a length of piping with a 5/8” seam allowance (did you know the end of your 6” seam gauge is 5/8”?). 

Place the wrong side of the piping (the seam allowances with the raw edges) along the right side of the fashion fabric, matching the raw edges.  In the picture above I am holding back the folded edge of the piping so you can see the raw edges matching up with the underlying fabric.

Sewing through all layers, stitch directly on top of the previous row of stitching, attaching the piping to the fashion fabric.

Taking care not to cut the folded edge of the piping, trim the piping and fashion fabric seam allowances.  The picture above shows a portion of the seam allowance trimmed.

Fold the piping seam allowance to the wrong side, allowing the piping to roll to the edge. Press.

The inside of the garment shows the folded edge of the piping while the cut edges are sandwiched in between.  If necessary you can tack the piping to crossed seam allowances inside the garment.

Here you’ll find the instructions for making a holiday pin like this one.  Please use these instructions as inspiration, and create your own, one-of-a-kind work of art.  Start with a large item for the background, then layer on feathers, pearls, beads, flowers, whatever pleases you.  Then add a focal point on top.

Here’s what you will need:

This is a glittered netting available at craft stores around the holidays.  It comes in lots of colors:  white, silver, gold, red.

Some floral picks (I used ones that were covered in silver glitter), pearl sprays and feathers.

For my little Santa faces, I used Evy Hawkins' Holiday Button Covers from A Bit of Stitch.  I stitched these out on silver colored dupioni silk, then covered a Dritz button cover with the design.  You will need one for each pin you wish to make.

You will also need about half yard of strung pearl roping (this usually comes on a roll like ribbon), some craft wire,  a pin back and a hot glue gun with glue.

Begin by making the net background.  Unroll the netting into a single layer and cut a piece about 12 inches long.

Scrunch the piece into a flattish tube.

Wrap the netting around your hand, overlapping the cut ends by an inch or two.

Twist a small piece of wire around the center of the netting, securing the cut ends and crimping the center a bit.

Gently fan out the folded edges of the netting loop like you are fluffing a bow.

Cut a piece of pearl roping 16” to 18” long.  You are going to form a triple loop.  Use your hand as a guide for forming the loops.  The first pass wraps around two fingers, the second pass around three fingers, and the third pass around four fingers, as in the picture below.  Overlap the two ends by an inch.

Twist a piece of wire around all strands, securing the two cut ends.

Using the photo below for guidance, assemble the components of the pin.  Lay down the netting background and glue on the feather and the pearl spray.  The feather should hang down off the bottom right of the pin in approximately the 4:00 position.  The pearl spray should be oriented at the top left at approximately the 10:00 position.

Next add the floral element straight up at the 12:00 position.  The pearl loops hang down at the 6:00 position.

Glue the Santa button in the very center, covering all of the glue used to attach the other elements.  Turn the pin over and attach a pin back with glue or by sewing.

I made this little rose from scraps left over from another project.  The fabric is knit jersey but you can use any fabric you wish for these flowers.  In fact, jersey is not the easiest fabric to work with so you might try your first flower using quilting cotton or a crisp silk such as dupioni like I used for this flower.  These instructions are from several vintage flower making books written around the turn of the 20^th century; this is the method milliners used to make silk flowers long before they were commercially available.

Begin by cutting out a variety of squares sized from 2” to 7”.  For this project I used three 2” squares, three 3” squares, three 4” squares and two 5” squares.  For a larger flower continue to add larger squares as needed.  Also, for your first flower you might want to start with 3” squares as your smallest as they are easier to handle.

Fold each square diagonally in half and press.

Fold the folded edge of the triangle over about ¼”.  The size of this fold is not critical and variety makes for a more realistic looking flower.

Thread a needle with heavy thread (I used buttonhole thread) and knot the end.  Stitch around the cut edges of the triangle using a running stitch.  Make sure your first and last stitches go through the folded-over bit to secure it.

Pull up the stitches to gather the petal.  For the first layer you want to gather it up tightly. When you gather the petal it will form a cup. 

You can place a flower stamen in the middle if you wish.

Make sure the folded lip is facing away from the concave part of the petal (the hollowed out side).  Knot your thread securely and cut off.

Make another petal in the same manner but don’t pull the gathering stitches up quite as tight.  Place the second petal on top of the first, overlapping the edges a little bit and stitch the two petals together using hand stitches.  You will continue adding petals in a circular manner.  You can add them in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, just pick one and be consistent throughout the project.

Continue adding petals one at a time, increasing the size of the square used as each layer is complete and stitching down the gathered edges as needed to hold the flower together. 

As the flower gets bigger you will need to gather each petal less and less to allow them to fit around the larger circumference. 

I try to make my last layer from the two largest squares so each goes about half way around the flower, overlapping each other just a bit.

Depending on how you plan to use your flower you might want to finish the back just a bit.  Cut a circle of fabric large enough to cover the exposed stitching and glue or stitch it into place.

You can make a leaf for your flower in several ways.  On the pink flower pictured above, I used a free-standing machine embroidery design by A Bit of Stitch.  I stabilized the jersey with some fusible interfacing before stitching.  I recommend doing this regardless of the method you choose to make your leaf to give it some stability.  For this leaf I drew a simple leaf shape on my scrap of fabric and cut it out using pinking shears.  I sketched some veins on the leaf and used a straight stitch on my machine to outline them.  You could also draw a leaf shape and satin stitch around the edge before cutting close to the stitching.  Or you could use a rubber stamp and rayon velvet to emboss a leaf design before cutting out with pinking shears (this is pretty when you are using a fabric like silk for the flower).  Glue or stitch the flower on top of the leaf.

You can add a pin back to the flower or simply use two safety pins to attach it to the garment.  Enjoy wearing your new flower!

I first learned this technique from my friend Patricia, the woman I count as my sewing mentor.  I’m grateful that she taught this to me as I use it frequently and find the result much nicer than elastic through a casing.  This waistband cannot be altered once it is complete so check your fit carefully before embarking on this project.  My instructions show the use of a serger but you can substitute an overlock stitch on your sewing machine if necessary.

When cutting out your garment, allow a fold over, cut-on waistband allowance equal to the width of your chosen elastic.  For instance, if you are using 1.25” elastic you would leave 1.25” at the top waist edge above the finished waist line.

Make sure you use sew-through elastic for this project.  To determine the cut length of elastic, measure the garment wearer’s waist and subtract from 2- to 4-inches, depending on how tight you like to wear your waistband.   Making sure you don’t twist the elastic, butt the cut ends together and use a wide zigzag to stitch across the cut edges, joining the two ends together.  You can also reinforce this seam by placing a piece of tricot or Seams Great beneath the seam (or wrap a piece entirely around the cut ends).  Try on the elastic and make sure it is a comfortable fit before proceeding.

Mark the elastic in quarters, using the just sewn seam as one mark.   To do this, fold in half along the seam and mark the resulting fold using a marking pen.  Next, match that mark to the sewn seam and mark the two resulting folds.  Set the elastic aside.

Prepare your garment in a similar fashion.  To quarter the waist line mark the center front and center back then bring these two marks together.  Mark the resulting two folds (these marks may or may not fall at the side seams).

Pin the elastic to the wrong side of the garment, aligning the top edge of the garment with one edge of the elastic.  Match and pin the center back of the garment to the sewn seam on the elastic.  Match and pin the remaining three marks.  Allow the fabric between the pins to drape naturally.

For the next step you may feel more comfortable basting the elastic in using your sewing machine the first few times you attempt this technique.  With practice you will be able to skip that step and go straight to serging the elastic onto the garment.

Serge with the elastic on top of the garment fabric.  Begin at the center back seam and sink your needle into the elastic/fabric, placing the edge of the elastic next to but not over the knife’s edge (you could also disengage your knife if you wish). 

Place your left hand behind the needle and hold the elastic and fabric together near the center back pin.  Place your right hand on the next pin in front of the needle.  Stretch the elastic until the fabric is flat and flush with the elastic.  Holding this area taut, serge the edge.  Make sure you do not cut the elastic while you are serging and remove pins as you come to them. 

When you reach the next pin, stop with the needle down through all layers and reposition your hands, placing your left hand close to and behind the needle and your right hand at the next pin in front of the needle.  Stretch the elastic until the fabric is taught and continue serging.  Repeat this step until you reach where you started and serge off the edge.

If you have difficulty managing the fabric, you can mark the elastic and garment waistline in eights instead of fourths.  This makes the amount of fabric you need to stretch at one time much smaller.

Fold the elastic to the wrong side of the garment so the fabric covers the elastic.  Pin the elastic in place, placing four pins roughly where your quarter marks were previously.

Move to your sewing machine.  Stretch the elastic between two pins and, using a lengthened straight stitch, edge stitch along the serged edge through all layers.  As before you will move your hands between the pins as you progress.  Leave your needle down in the elastic/fabric when repositioning your hands.  Continue until you reach where you started .

Heavily steam the waistband/elastic and watch it (literally) shrink back to its original size and shape.  Admire your completed waistband.

This tutorial will walk you through the steps of creating a small photo album with accordion-fold pages.  These albums are perfect gifts and can be customized to suit almost any occasion.  These instructions will show you how to put together the album but will not go into detail about creating a cover for the piece.  You can use anything you wish for this cover, from a quilted and embellished piece, one with machine embroidery, velvet, or a plain piece of fabric.  Please see my other post from today in the Journal section of my blog for more information on how I created the cover for the piece in this tutorial, as well as other ideas and pictures of cover possibilities.

You will need a few supplies for this project.  Probably the most difficult part of this entire venture will be finding the paper needed for the accordion folded pages.  I am fortunate to live in an area where there is at least one good art supply store.  For those of you without access to such a store, this paper can be purchased online here.  You will need a piece of paper at least 26” in length.  You can also purchase sheets of chipboard here.  These instructions are for a finished size of approximately 4.5” x 6.5” which will accommodate a standard 4” x 6” picture.

Supplies:

• Chipboard, 2 pieces 4.5” x 6.5”
• Black Heavyweight Paper (90 lb.), 1 piece, 6.25” x 25.5”
• Cover Fabric, 6” x 8”
• Backing Fabric, 6” x 8”
• Flannel, 6” x 8”
• Ribbon, 1 yard
• Stylus or bone folder
• Double-sided Tape
• Acid-Free, archival quality glue

Begin by cutting the heavy-weight black paper to size.

Next, score the paper to create the accordion folds.  Use a quilting ruler or other gridded ruler to ensure that your scores are straight and squared with the paper edges. 

Measure 4.25” from the left edge of the paper and, using your stylus or bone folder, score the paper along the edge of the ruler.  Using this scored mark as your new left edge, align the ruler and score again 4.25” away from the first mark.  Continue until you have made five scored marks on the paper.

Measure over 4.25” from the last mark and, using a rotary cutter or exacto knife, cut off the remaining paper.  You should have six sections marked on the black paper.

Fold the paper along the creased marks accordion style (one fold forward, the next fold back).  Set the paper piece aside.

If I am using a single layer of fabric for the front or back cover, I like to also use a thin layer of flannel underlining.  Baste the flannel to the outer fabric layer and treat as one.

Center one piece of chipboard on the fabric/flannel unit.  I always start with the back cover to get the feel for the process before tackling the front cover.  Place four small pieces of double sided tape at the four corners of the chipboard.  Fold one corner in diagonally (this will form a triangle) and adhere to the tape.  Try to make this fold so the cut edges of the triangle are perpendicular to the cut edges of the fabric unit.  Repeat for all four corners.

Place a strip of double-sided tape along each of the four long edges of the chipboard.  Fold in each fabric edge and adhere to the tape.  Pay close attention to each corner and try to fold the fabric so the two edges are close together here and with as little bulk as possible.  Find and mark the center of this piece with an X.  Place a piece of double-sided tape over this mark.

Find the center of the ribbon and place it over the taped center mark of the back cover piece.

Repeat this process with the fabric chosen for the front cover (I did not use a flannel layer with this piece).  Here is my completed front cover.

Place the previously folded paper section so the two long cut edges are facing to the right (this is important if your front cover has a directional design.  You want to place the cover onto the pages so the design is correctly oriented (top/bottom) when the pages are facing this direction).  Begin by running a thin bead of glue close to the outer edge of top paper section.  Fill in the remaining area with more glue.  You need to use enough glue to be effective but not so much that it oozes out from the edges when you apply the cover. 

Carefully center and place this glued page onto the front cover piece.  I usually start with the front cover as it is easier to see to align this side of the album.  Repeat the gluing procedure and attach the back cover.  Check to make sure that no glue is leaking out from the edges of the paper and wipe off carefully if it is.  Close the album and make sure that the front and back covers are aligned with each other.

If the front cover is embellished with beads, embroidery or other 3D objects, place a towel or other padded surface down, lay the album with the front cover on this padding, and weight the album closed with a heavy book.  You should check a few minutes later to make sure no glue has oozed out along the paper edges which can cause the pages to stick together as the glue dries.  Let the project dry for several hours.

Tie the ribbon around the album to close.  Here’s my completed project.  Mount your photos inside as desired.   I hope you enjoy making your own.

Collect your materials and grab your glue gun, and in 15 minutes you will have a lovely gift topper that can then be clipped onto a Christmas tree as a decoration.

Materials:

• large clothespin
• natural colored raffia
• small cinnamon sticks
• assorted dried naturals such as tiny pinecones, star anise, dried citrus peel, rose hips, etc.  (collect your own or purchase a box of chunky potpourri and use the various components)
• glue gun with glue sticks
• gold glitter spray (optional)

Begin by tying the raffia into a soft, loose bow.  You will trim the ends to the desired length later.

Securely glue the bow to the clothespin.

Glue two (or more) cinnamon sticks to the bow.

Choose a large, central element and glue to the center of the bow.  Continue adding smaller elements until you have a pleasing arrangement.  Make sure each piece is securely glued down.

Trim the ends of the raffia bow to the desired length.  Try to cut one or two strands at a time, at varying lengths, so the ends don’t look “chopped off”.

You can stop here or add some glitter spray which I think adds a lovely sparkle.

I like to wrap my gift in brown craft paper and use jute twine to tie the package.  Clip the clothespin to the center of the twine and spray the entire top of the box with the glitter spray.

Gather some balls from a sweetgum tree and pick up a few other materials from your local craft store to make this quick and easy ornament.  There is some drying time required for several steps so plan accordingly.

Materials:

• 1 sweetgum ball
• 18 gauge paper stem wire
• 1” clay flower pot
• small piece of Styrofoam
• plaster of Paris
• Spanish moss
• ribbon
• gold spray paint
• glue (hot glue gun or other craft glue)
• monofilament fishing line
• wire cutters

Push the Styrofoam piece into the bottom of the clay pot (I used a small piece of packing material; a Styrofoam ball or packing peanut would work, too).

Cut two pieces of wire about 3.5” long.  Twist them together by overlapping their centers and twisting one around the other until they are twisted together their entire length.

Glue the wire into one of the holes in the gumball and let dry.

The wire may need to be trimmed slightly at this point.  Hold the wired gumball up to the pot and check that the proportions are pleasing.  In my sample I ended up with about 2” of wire between the bottom of the gumball and the top of the pot.  Trim the wire as needed.  Push the wire into the Styrofoam in the bottom of the pot.

Mix a small amount of plaster in a disposable cup.

Pour the plaster over the Styrofoam, leaving some space at the top of the clay pot.  Let dry.

Glue some Spanish moss in the top of the pot to hide the plaster.

Spray paint the entire ornament gold (or another color of your choice).  Use several light coats and let dry between coats.  Make sure you paint the bottom of the pot as well.

Tie a ribbon around the stem of the topiary.  Glue monofilament fishing line to the top of the ornament for a hanger.  Try to find one or two holes at the very top of the gumball and insert the fishing line into those holes.  You want the ornament to hang straight and feel balanced; if there is one hole at the very top center you can insert both ends of the line into that one hole.  If there are two holes on either side of the top center glue one end of the fishing line into each hole.

Here is a quick and cute ornament to give your sewing friends. 

Materials

•             mini clothespin

•             two coordinating fabrics

•             Clover yoyo maker (optional)

•             hand needle/thread

•             small thimble (I spray painted mine gold to match my fabrics)

•             ribbon

•             button or other embellishment

•             glue gun and/or Jewel It glue

I used Clover brand yoyo makers to make the yoyos for this project.  They are wonderful to use, fast and easy, producing a beautiful finished product.  You can, easily, make yoyos “from scratch” if you prefer.

Choose the size yoyos you want to make and the appropriate fabric.  I used the small (1.25” ) and large (1.75”) yoyo maker for this project.  [In retrospect I think the bottom yoyo should be smaller as it is a little floppy on the clothespin.  Strive for 1.5” and 1.25” yoyos.]  The yoyo makers consist of two parts which snap together.  Essentially, you place your fabric between the two halves and cut out a rough circle. 

Holding the seam allowance flat against the plastic parts you stitch through the slots on the maker making a nice, even stitch all the way around.  When you are finished you simply draw up the thread to close the yoyo.  If using the yoyo maker, follow the instructions included with the product.

If you are making the yoyos by hand, begin with a circle of fabric about twice the desired finished size (3” circle for a 1.5” finished yoyo).  Turn under 1/8” along the perimeter of the circle and stitch a running stitch through the seam allowance all the way around the circle.  Draw up the thread to close the yoyo and tie off.  There are plenty of tutorials on youtube demonstrating the technique for yoyo making if you need some guidance.

Here are my two completed yoyos.

Glue the largest one to the clothespin with the glue gun.  (Helpful hint:  leave a little opening at the center of the largest yoyo to insert some glue between the layers.  This helps stabilize the yoyo on the clothespin a bit.)  Glue the smaller yoyo on top of the larger.

Glue the thimble on top of the yoyos.  I decided to use Jewel It glue to attach the thimble as sometimes hot glue does not adhere very well to metal or other slick surfaces and tends to pop off.  If you use a glue like Jewel It allow for longer drying time.

Tie a loopy bow with the ribbon.  I secured the center with a small piece of wire.  You could also tie a conventional overhand bow or use some other pleasing design.

Glue the bow to the side of the ornament.  Glue a button to the center (or use another embellishment such as a ribbon rose).

Materials:

• ½ yard 60” heavy weight wool
• ½ yard cotton fabric for lining
• sewing thread
• embroidery thread and monogram design (optional)
• 1.5” black grosgrain ribbon, 28”
• scrap of gold lame
• scrap of interfacing
• scrap of fusible web
• metallic gold thread
• Yarn for trim (I used Lion Brand Fun Fur, Festive Fur and Homespun)
• Double pointed knitting needles

The sample bag was made from coat weight red wool with a novelty cotton fabric lining.  All seams are ½” unless otherwise noted. 

Make a paper pattern.  Draw a rectangle 16” tall by 14” wide.  Cut out 2” squares from both lower corners.  Label the pattern piece.  I also like to make notes on the pattern so when I use it in the future I will have the details at my fingertips such as seam allowance and strap size.

Cut out two outer fabric pieces and two lining pieces.   If your fabric does not have an obvious right and wrong side (as with the wool) mark the same side of each piece with tape to be consistent when constructing the bag.

Cut two straps, 24” by 4” (note the size on the pattern for future use). 

Monogram, if desired.  The monogram should be centered vertically and placed 5” down from the top edge of the bag.

Fold each strap in half lengthwise and press.

Fold in each edge to meet at the fold line.  Press

Fold in half again along the original fold line.  Press.

Edgestitch the strap using a 100/16 topstitch needle and 3.5 mm stitch length.  A needle box placed under the back of the presser foot ensures a smooth start to stitching.

Repeat with second strap.

Sew one side seam in the outer fabric. 

Press seam open.  If you are using a heavy weight wool it helps to use a clapper to press the seam.

For the belt, cut 1-1/2” grosgrain ribbon 28” long.  Place top edge of ribbon 8” from the top edge of the tote (an easy way to do this is to align the fabric and ribbon on a gridded cutting surface as shown).  Allow the ends of the ribbon to hang off the sides of the bag.  Edgestitch in place.  Press. 

To make the buckle, draw a rectangle, 2 ½” wide by 2 ¾” tall onto the paper side of a piece of fusible webbing.  The center cut out is 1” wide by 1 ¼” tall with a small protrusion centered along one of the longer sides.  Interface a piece of lame with a piece of heavy weight interfacing.  Fuse the webbing to the interfacing side of the buckle and cut out along the drawn lines.  Center the buckle over the ribbon and fuse into place.  Satin stitch (zigzag 3.0 width, 0.4 length) along all of the edges using metallic thread, if desired.  Do not use metallic thread in the bobbin.

Attach the straps.  Remember to account for the unsewn ½” seam allowance along the outer edges.  Allow ½” of each strap end to overhang the top edge of the bag.  Using the photo above to aid in placement and placing the sewn edge of the strap to the inside of the handle, pin the strap in place.  On the unsewn edge, measure in 3 ½” and place the outer edge of the strap along that point.  The other end of the strap will be positioned 3” in from the sewn seam line.  There will be 5” between the two straps.  Stitch the ends securely in place.

Fold the bag in half, matching the raw side edges.  To ensure that the belt matches when sewn, begin by matching the belt at the seam line and basting across.  Check for accuracy and if necessary, remove basting and restitch.  Once the belt has been stitched to your satisfaction, pin the remaining side seam and stitch, easing to fit as needed.   Trim ends of the ribbon even with the fabric.

Sew the bottom seam between the square cutouts.  Press the seam open.  Box the corners by matching the cut edges of the square cutouts and stitch across.  If necessary, pin the bottom seam allowance open to ensure that it remains so when stitching.  Press flat.  Set aside the outer portion of the tote while you prepare the lining.

Stitch both side seams of the lining pieces, right sides together, leaving a 5” opening in one seam for turning the bag.  Press both seams open. 

Sew bottom seam and press open.

Prepare the boxed corners in the same manner as for the outer bag.  Press flat.

Turn the outer bag inside out.  Drop the lining inside the outer bag, right sides of fabric together, and pin along the top edge.  Stitch around entire upper edge.

Pull the lining out and press the seam allowances toward the lining (the wool will be pressed flat and the lining seam allowance will be pressed back on itself.)

Working through the 5” opening in the lining side seam, understitch the lining to the seam allowances.  You will be stitching on the lining fabric and through both the wool and lining seam allowances. 

Turn the bag right side out.  Reach through the opening in the lining and push out the corners of the outer bag very well.  Pin the opening in the lining closed and edgestitch (or, alternatively, sew closed with hand stitches).  Push the lining down into the bag.

Press the top edge with the iron, favoring the outer layer slightly, as shown.

This is the completed bag awaiting the trim.  Measure around the top edge of the bag with a tape measure to determine needed trim length.

The trim was created using three different white yarns from Lion Brand Yarn, Fun Fur, Festive Fur, and Homespun.  All three yarns were held together and knitted as one.  Knit a three stitch I-cord (Here is a great video that will walk you through knitting an I-cord if you don’t know how.)

Continue knitting until the desired length has been achieved and bind off.

Hand stitch the trim around the top of the bag, catching the outer layer of the bag only.

HOHOHO!

Materials

• Small silver bulb ornament
• 64 silver bugle beads
• 1 clear, faceted plastic bead
• 2 silver sequins (optional, see note)
• 28 gauge silver beading wire
• glue (I used Jewel-It but any glue appropriate for metal, glass, plastic will work; I don't recommend hot glue)
• Wire cutters/pliers
• Monofilament fishing line

Begin by preparing the tree ornament.  Remove any hardware from the opening at the top of the bulb.  There are a number of types of bulbs with differing types of hardware.  Mine had a piece of wire glued into the top, covered with metallic paper.  I used the pliers to pull the wire out and trimmed the paper even with the opening at the top of the bulb.

Next, glue the two silver sequins (eyes) to either side of the plastic faceted bead (head).  I found that placing the bead on a large tapestry needle made this task easier.  Set aside to dry.  NOTE:  I found that the sequins were almost invisible on the finished product and really feel this step is optional.

Cut four pieces of wire 5” long.  Working with one wire at a time, thread one bugle bead onto the wire, bend the wire over the bead and twist the end around the remaining wire to secure. 

Thread an additional 13 beads onto the wire for a total of 14.  Secure the last bead in the same manner as the first.  Repeat for all four wires.  Note that the beads will not fill the wire completely.

Lay the four wires parallel to each other.  Separate the beads in the center with 7 beads on each end of the wire.  Twist the wires together in the middle.  Continue twisting until the unit measures about 4” long.  This completes the legs.

Bend the center of the leg unit into a slight curve and glue it to the underside of the bulb.  Use plenty of glue for this step.

Glue the faceted head bead onto the end of the bulb and let dry.  Cut a piece of fishing line the desired length for a hanger.  Loop around the neck of the bulb, behind the legs, bring the ends to the top and tie an overhand knot to secure.  Trim to the desired length and tie another overhand knot at the end.

If you wish to give this as a gift, include a copy of the following story with the spider.  Right click on the image and “Save Image As” to a convenient place on your computer.  You can then insert the image into Word or other word processing file, resize it as desired, and print it out on cardstock.  Trim to size and punch a hole in the card.  Thread a thin piece of ribbon through the hole and tie through the spider’s hanger.