  
Beaded Chicken Egg © 2007 by Desertbrat:
Date: 2007/3/23 7:32 p.m.
Page 4
17. Of course, the beads should be matched in size, as close as possible. Once you have them on the needle, you can see if there are any that are absolutely too large ... or too small.
When that happens, just take them off the needle and put into some kind of container, out of your way. No sense in dropping them back into your beads and scooping them back onto your needle.
In the photo below, the beads on the needle are pretty much matched in size, so I glued them onto the eggshell.
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18. I love it, when I've gone, row by row around the shell and my pattern starts taking shape. (^: A word of caution tho ... keep an eye on your pattern!! Due to not paying attention, I've had to remove rows of beads! (I've done this more than once.)
Suddenly I'd notice that I had glued the wrong colored beads onto the wrong part of the pattern. When that happens, you have to (carefully) pull the rows loose, take the beads off the thread and soak the glue off them, so they can be used again. (^:
You may have to lightly re-pencil your pattern from time to time, due to the pencil markings rubbing off as you handle your eggshell.
As you can see from the photo below, I have almost finished the first half of the egg. All I lack is the very tip-top of it.
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19. When you get to the last few beads, make sure they are glued down, really good. When you cut the thread loose, leave a "tail" of thread, about a half inch long.
Put glue on the thread-tail and use your needle to carefully push the thread-tail, in and around the beads, so it will glue into place, and not be seen.
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20. Now to start beading the second half of the eggshell. Get another long length of thread. Glue a half inch of thread, right up against the row of beads and let it dry.
Then bead it just like you did the first half of the shell.
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21. Below, is the bottom of the completed, second half of my eggshell. And a good example of not planning ahead.
I thought I would use the crystal beads all the way around the bottom, as "snow." What I hadn't taken into consideration was the difference in size, between the red and crystal beads . It was very difficult to make "one-bead-wide" alphabet letters due to the difference in bead-size.
So, I modified my original pattern and used the blue beads with the red ones for my initials, "A H".
If I'd placed the initials higher up the shell, I would have had room to use the crystal beads as snow all the way around the bottom!!
The crystal beads are "lined" beads ... the center is crystal-looking and the rest of the bead is clear glass, so they don't take "good" photo's. It looks like they are spread apart ... they aren't. The rows are actually butted right up against each other.
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22. I put an Austrian crystal headpin in the top end of the eggshell.
It had to be worked down between the beads and through the glued-down, tissue-paper-patch under the beads.
To make sure it stayed there, I twisted the shaft of the headpin into a loose, spiral shape.
Then I dabbed on as much glue as would stay on the "spiral-shaped" shaft and twisting gently, I worked it down into the shell, till the Austrian crystal rested on top of the beads.
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