The Beaded Necklace Class

I have made several little bead and cross stitch on perforated paper pocket necklaces over the years.  One that I wore was admired by one of my Japanese teachers. I told her it wasn’t difficult to make and that I could teach her. I no longer had the directions for the one I wore and here in Japan, I couldn’t find the size beads it used anyway, so I made up a new one. I charted it out on Microsoft Excel as I went along.  Four other teachers were also interested (even though they hadn’t seen the necklace), so I made up five kits of different colors with the necessary beads and threads and of course, the perforated paper.

I didn’t know if any of them had stitched before and was afraid they wouldn’t like it. After Japanese class this week, I got out the example and the kits and was relieved that they all seemed to like it. I tried to tell them that the first step, with all the counting, was the most difficult and that it would be easier after the first color of thread was stitched.  A few of them found threading the needle difficult, so I attempted to explain and demonstrate my trick of “needling the thread” by pinching the thread over the needle between the index finger and thumb of my left hand, then pulling out the needle and pushing it onto the thread between my pinched finger and thumb, without even seeing the thread.  It works nearly every time. Maybe I can learn how to say pinch in Japanese before next week’s session.