Saturday 24 March 2007

Gaudi Windows and Tyvek Beads

I have decided to add tyvek beads to the ends of the "Gaudi Windows" wall hanging. I still had some of the silver painted tyvek left from yesterday. I over painted it with blue acrylic paint and black Quink Ink to try and get a colour match. I know I won't get an exact colour macth since the materials I am using are different and each takes colour differently.

All you need to make the beads are: painted tyvek cut into triangles the size you require. I just matched the long ends of the triangles to the edges of the wall hanging and cut it as long as the piece of tyvek (approximately 10 inches). Since used aluminium shim in the wall hanging I used aluminium wire for the beads, a metallic knitting needle, a little paint and some embossing powder (I used the gold I used on the wall hanging).
I then wrapped the tyvek around the knitting needle starting with the broad end. Wrap wire around it. I just tucked the ends of the wire into the ends of the tyvek to make it easier to wrap.
I then dabbed a little paint around the "bead" and then sprinkled it with embossing powder.
Heat it with the heat gun until the tyvek and the embossing powder has melted.
Here is the finished bead which matches quite closely in colour to the wall hanging.

Download PDF file HERE

7 comments:

Dianne said...

The beads are gorgeous, mine always shrink too much, but maybe with the wire on it first the heat not to close they will look like yours, this Gaudi piece is deffiatly my fav, love it...

Unknown said...

Carol, this developing into a fab piece, my first try at tyvek beads were the lumpiest things I have ever seen, I may go back and have another go after seeing yours :)

gunnelsvensson said...

These are wondeful beads! My try with tyvek is not so good, I am not sure I like it at all, maby I have a new try............
thanks for comment on my blog :-))

Judy Scott said...

I love tyvek beads, yours are fab, going to make some next week for the challenge, love judy xx

evanyberg said...

Thankyou so much for the pdf file the beads are lovely!! I will try to make some :)

Timaree said...

It's so nice of you to make the pdf files so we can try the project at a later time. Thankyou very much.

MizPat said...

Carol, I found your blog from your post on info-eq regarding the quilts for Nepal. Your beads are quite exotic! I used to sell bldg. materials including tyvek, which is a brand of house-wrap. I'd never thought of it as a craft fabric, but it is lovely.