Measuring ornaments for "Haul out the holly" and "Heirloom treasures"
 I've gotten several questions about the ornaments featured in the October and December 2010 issues of Bead&Button. In the materials lists, we give the size of the ornaments as 2-1/2 in. (6.4 cm) for "Haul out the holly" (October, p. 62) and 2-5/8 in. (6.7 cm) for "Heirloom treasures" (December, p. 34), but some readers have had a hard time finding the right ornaments because they often do not have their measurements listed on the package. If you pick up clear ornaments from a craft store or online vendor, the sizes are more likely to be given. Many ornaments vary slightly even when sold in the same package, but
luckily most ornament patterns are not so exact around the center point
that it matters.
Now, if you already have some ornaments in your holiday stash that you want to spruce up with beautiful beads, you can find out their diameter by measuring around the center of the ornament. Take that number and divide it by Pi (3.14) to get the diameter. Or if you are like me, hold up the ornament to a ruler, close one eye, and get a close approximation. Either way, don't let slight differences in inches and centimeters slow you down when making your gifts for the holidays! And keep an eye out for the rest of our ornament series throughout 2011.
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Stacy Werkheiser
wrote
re: Measuring ornaments for "Haul out the holly" and "Heirloom treasures"
on
Tue, Nov 2 2010 8:26 AM
Here's a trick my mom taught me: If you're at a brick-and-mortar craft store and the measurements aren't given on the ornament packaging, go to the aisle where they sell measuring tapes and rulers and use them to determine the size of the ornament.
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ontario
wrote
re: Measuring ornaments for "Haul out the holly" and "Heirloom treasures"
on
Mon, Nov 15 2010 8:28 AM
I am often asked about where to buy the glass ornaments! First try Michaels, this is a standard size for them. I also suggest Pier I and have found some nice blown glass at Ikea. The brand that I used for my samples is Kreb, this is a standard ball size for them.
Another tip, although I love the frosted or pearl finish, the coating does scratch off so be careful when you are working the beadwork over the ball.
And don't ignore the odd shaped balls, many of these beaded covers look fine on square, or teardrop shapes.
Hope this helps!
Cathy
ps, to measure, hold the glass ball on top of a ruler, line up the fattest part over the ruler numbers.have one edge at zero and see where the opposite edge lies.
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sharon.152
wrote
re: Measuring ornaments for "Haul out the holly" and "Heirloom treasures"
on
Mon, Dec 20 2010 7:06 PM
I made a template of some common ornament sizes.
I took an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cardboard and drew circles of different sizes on it, spacing them a couple of inches apart and labeling outside the pencil line what size each circle was (2", 2 1/4", 2 5/8", 3", etc.).
Then I cut away the center of each of the circles using a craft knife. This left me with a sheet that looks like Swiss cheese.
Take the ornament of unknown size and slip it through any hole that looks big enough for it to pass through without ripping the cardboard.
Hole too tight? Go to a larger hole. Too loose? Try a smaller hole. Just right? There's your size, Goldilocks.
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