Beaded Hair Clip

I just finished this hair clip last night, and am already wearing it. I've tried doing hair clips a couple of times in the past, but the main sticking point has always been that I hated the cheap and nasty barrette clips which were all that was available. Anyway, I finally tracked down a source of the better quality french barrette clips in Australia [http://www.polymerclay.com.au/], and bought several of them to try out some hair clip ideas.
This clip was made using a large Czech glass button I purchased from Cranberry some time ago [http://www.cranberry.net.au/store/index.php]. I always though it was too big for a necklace focal but liked it so much I wanted to try to do something with it. The aim with this design was to create something that was wearable first! I was hoping for a slightly Art Deco look with the bead placement. I had some lovely aqua-coloured beads and crystals which went very well together in this piece, I'm really happy with the way it turned out.
So what did I learn from this project?

1. Don't try to remove the shank from a glass button! This is actually the second button I bought from Cranberry - I broke the first one trying to remove the shank. If you look at the back of this piece you can see the shank sticking out in the middle of the barrette clip - it actually doesn't cause any problems.
2. Be careful with bead choice and placement - in particular avoid heavy beads for a hair clip. You don't want to feel like the back of your head is weighed down by the clip.
3. I had some trouble cutting the backing fabric to go around the barrette clip and will have to practice this more - it really doesn't look very good at the moment.
4. I still need to practice getting things symmetrical. I need to learn to draw out the pattern first onto the base fabric before getting started. My mother always used to say I was like a bull at a gate and she's right - I so often jump in without really thinking things through, then have to figure it out later. It would be a good idea to draw the design and clip placement on to the base fabric before starting stitching, so that everything lines up properly.

I've also learnt that hair clips are a great way to do some beading without committing to months and months of work! This one only took a few nights to make. I'm inspired now to try a few more designs. I think the next one will be a butterfly - I've already printed out a pattern and the next thing is to choose some beads.