In the first article in the ‘How to Make Your Own Eyeglass Necklace or Eyeglass Chains’ series, we learned a great deal about what supplies are needed to accomplish this fun craft. Now, we will discuss setting up your craft work area, and the important of making sure everything is where it should be. Our next article will cover the actual necklace and chain making process, and, if you’re lucky enough, you might even get to read the final article about some nifty ways to use eyeglass necklaces even if you don’t wear eyeglasses.
Setting Up
Once you’ve gathered all the necessary items, you’ll want to make sure you have everything sorted (all the beads separated into their own little containers) and put within easy reach on a sturdy table. Sturdy tables are recommended over folding tables, because too much weight or pressure on a folding table can bring everything to a messy, disorganized end. It would be far more difficult to make a bead pattern for an eyeglass necklace if you have to sort through a huge pile of beads on the floor for the next color/size bead in the pattern.
Make sure that you’re magnifying glass is within easy reach. It’s recommended that you use an actual magnifying glass stand to hold the magnifier in place throughout the beading process. Magnifiers are recommended for use no matter how healthy your eyesight. Straining and staring for long periods of time will damage the eyes.
The needle nose pliers or needles should be kept away from the edge of the table where small hands or slight bumping can send them to the floor, but close enough to your hands that they can be picked up easily.
Your string should be kept in a separate container from the beads along with your scissors or wire cutters.
You should choose a chair that is comfortable for your back and backside – you’ll be sitting, tensed, for long periods of time. There is nothing worse in crafts than trying to stand up after sitting to make eyeglass chains for four hours and your legs are asleep, and your back is pinched.
Once you’ve gotten everything settled on the table top, and have acquired the perfect chair, you should sit down and make sure that everything is within reach, and at a comfortable level-this is important. Beading anything for long periods of time, especially something as bead heavy as an eyeglass necklace requires a lot of repetitive motion. Repetitive motions can cause carpal tunnel syndrome and other muscular conditions in the hands and wrists. Setting up everything for ease of accessibility before hand, can help reduce your chances.
Ergonomics is a real workplace science that helps millions of people a year stay comfortable while working and crafting.
Now that we’ve exhaustively covered the set up process of eyeglass necklace and eyeglass chains making, we’ll patiently wait for the next article in the series, which will cover the necklace and chains making process in detail.
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