Getting ready to bead

I do a lot of beading, and have learned--the hard way--to frame up my projects, so that I can have two hands free to handle the process.  Normally, for quilted items, I use an old set of Q-snaps, that have stretched out a bit, but the the reliquary was too long in one direction for that, so I had to find a wooden frame--not easy since DH took most of my frames to the thrift store.  I attached narrow strips of cotton to three sides, and then used crochet cotton to actually tie the points to the fourth side of the frame.  I use a lot of crochet cotton in my work, buying it at thrift stores for, usually, less than a dollar--cheaper than string, or even thread.  Here's what the piece looked like before I started.  The frame weight will hold the whole thing in place while I work.

My arthritic hands won't let me do a lot of the things I used to, and thumb tacks are one of the ones I don't really miss, ever since I bought myself the "Tack Jack", that you can see beside the frame.

Here is the first section beaded. Although you may have to enlarge the image to see them, I have added gold metallic beads in some of the sections of the vertical braid that outlines each section.  I'm also toying with the idea of adding bright fuchsia beads along the braid at the bottom.  Unfortunately, I've been sick as a dog the past couple of days, and haven't got any further than this.

I plan to link this with The Needle and Thread Network, Nina Marie Sayre's  Off the Wall Fridays