Ta-daaaa! Its finally done! Looking back now I think the time went really fast! I admit it took a long time, but here it is, and I think I know why it seemed to zoom by so quickly. Its because all the time I spent beading on this doll I had such joy in my heart. I love beading so much, and this has been so fun to do. So it never seemed like work, it was all fun.

I know what you’re thinking. That this is too huge of a project to tackle. Well, let me explain something… a bead challenge is about challenging yourself. Its not a contest where you’re competing against others. Its about pushing yourself to the limit to see what you can accomplish. I’ve never made a doll before, so I took the challenge to see if I could do it. I’m not good at it… I didn’t use a pattern and before the beads were sewn on it looked a little like Frankenstein. But I did my best. Sewing beads onto fabric is so easy, and then in the end it only makes you look brilliant for doing it… but it’s a no-brainer.

So I’m going to encourage the heck out of you to try one yourself. Not a doll, but whatever challenge that crosses your path. Say, the Garden of Beaden happens to be having a bead challenge starting on July 1st, and you could try it! Its got a garden theme, and anything goes. You could even submit a bracelet with floral lampwork beads on it. Simple! But you know… you should challenge yourself. Try something new, and then submit it and be part of something fun and special! If you decide you want to try it, then you’ll need to know a few things…

Here are some of the tools I used to make this project possible, that I couldn’t have lived without. Now, these are my preferences, and they work well for me… but be your own judge. The first one is ultra suede. If you’re considering using regular fabric for a project, please think again. Regular fabrics can be unpredictable and certainly don’t have the longevity that real ultra suede does. You can use it for any kind of bead embroidery out there, and its can be left by itself since its absolutely gorgeous stuff. No need to cover it completely. I recommend that you buy small amounts in a few colors to have on hand. Not all fabric stores have it, so if you can’t find it, let us know. We’ll help you find some.

Another tool that made my beading life so easy for this project was Fireline. Its made of wires woven together, so you need to use wire cutters to snip it or it’ll ruin your scissors. When I think about 100 years from now and my Sun Doll is on auction at an antique hall, I’m grateful for Fireline, and I won’t worry that the new owners will have a doll who’s beads will occasionally fall off. That doll is going to last for centuries! Fireline comes in “crystal” color, so its virtually invisible. I discovered this when I was more than half way through the doll. Wish I had used it from the beginning.

Then there’s my size 10 beading needles. Most people use size 12 or 15, but I’m a die-hard 10 fan. They’re thicker and don’t bend as easily. They work fine with even size 15.0 seed Beads. I know somewhere I have some 12’s and 15’s, but my bead case is chuck full of 10’s. Ok, here are the statistics for the doll:

These statistics are based on actual pieces used, in accurate amounts. For instance, if I used 1/4 of a tube of seed beads, then I only counted the amount for the 1/4, not the entire tube. And all dollar amounts are retail. Please know that I didn’t pay this amount for supplies out of my pocket… most of it I had in my stash, or beads were given to me from friends, or mailed to me from my readers (amazing!), or I stole them. Just kidding! At the end I’ll have an actual total of what I really spent. All amounts are approximate, but as close as I could get them. Here we go!

Approximate total hours spent to complete this project from conception to finish… 184. I think I’m a pretty fast beader. This seemed to work up relatively quick I guess, since I was working with larger beads.

Ok, so before you have a total heart attack, let me re-do this list according to what I actually spent out of my own pocket. You know, real dollars. Because I first went to my own stash to get my beads, thread, needles, etc. it wasn’t very much in the end. Also, I got little packages of beads from friends and readers to go into the project, which brings up a good point. If you’re tackling something on a bigger scale, then recruit other beaders to invade their stash for you. Offer to trade beads with them. I also got to buy some things at a discount, where as the total you see above is a retail total you’d spend if you just walked into a store and bought it. Ok, here’s the same list, revised.

Now, I went through all the trouble of adding it up as I went so I’d know what to insure it for (the cost to replace it) or what to potentially sell it for (Sorry, not for sale). You must be thinking that the stash beads and other stash stuff were once originally paid for, so the totals must be included. I can’t argue with that. But when I decided to do this I just began with a clean slate. Then I saved receipts for what I needed to get. So in the long run, I would have used those stash beads for some project eventually, but they happened to end up in my challenge piece. I realize that not everyone has a stash like mine. But you know… I’ve seen projects done in only $50.00 worth of seed beads that would put my Sun Doll to shame. What’s that old saying about “its not what you do, its what you do with it” or something like that. If you give ten people the same beads to work with you’ll get 10 very different end results. Work with what you’ve got and make it amazing!

So consider doing the challenge at the Garden of Beaden! Its for all ages and all beading abilities. Don't be shy... we want to share ideas and talents of all kinds of beaders and this is a great way to do it! If you have any questions, just give us a call.