WIP: Crafting Beaded Fibulae and Overcoming Challenges

I finally finished the four beaded fibulae for Baroness Kathleen! Cue the confetti and a big “Yeah, me!”

Now, I’ll admit it took a lot longer than I expected. Why? Well, first, I ran into a bead supply problem. The larger-bore beads I needed were perpetually sold out at the usual hobby stores. After scouring shelves and coming up empty, I finally threw up my hands. I decided to modify my design to work with the beads I could find.

Here’s the deal: I wanted beads with holes big enough to fit two wires. One wire would form the “safety pin” shape. A second, much smaller wire, would wrap around the first between each bead. It acted as a spacer. Those two tiny wire ends? I tucked them neatly into the bead holes so they wouldn’t snag your fabric. But since finding those big-hole beads was impossible, I  changed my plan.

I stopped hunting for the mythical perfect beads and just bought what was available. With that the fibulae came together in record time. It only took an hour and a half to make all four!

If I’m being honest, the delay wasn’t a bead shortage problem. Nope. It was a “me” problem. I was way more into my persona writing project than into crafting beaded fibulae.

What turned things around? I remembered my personal motto: Gloria in Facto. It’s like a Latin remix of Nike’s “Just Do It,” but with a 15th-century twist. Translated, it means “There is justice in the doing.” So, I made the decision to just do it and dedicated real time on my calendar. As a result, the fibulae became real. Now they’re finished, sparkling, and ready for Baroness Kathleen to pin to fabric.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to remind yourself to get out of your own way—and get to work!