Papier Mache Bead Necklace
Helen Wilson
United Kingdom
Papier mache, newspaper, water & pva glue, strips of fabric (left over from dressmaking)

'I've been making these beads for some time now. Initially I was simply looking for a way to make jewellery that didn't require spending lots of money on materials, but after I made a few I got quite intrigued by trying to make them look as little like papier mache as I could. I wanted to transform the soggy paper mash into something that looked valuable. It involved a lot of sanding down of the papier mache and then many coats of paint and varnish. All the beads are formed by hand rather than in a mould and the hole is drilled in after they've dried. The fabric is twisted tightly round and sewn in place with a zig-zag stitch on a sewing machine.'