acrafterslife

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a self taught beader with the aid of online tutorials and very generous advise from beaders of all levels of experience at the About.com beadwork forum .

Getting the right thread was a problem for me at first.  All the beading thread I could find was Nymo, which was supposed to be the very best beading thread on the market.  I had problems!  Nymo stretches and must be pre-stretched before you start stitching, or your project will sag with time.  I had trouble stretching each length the same amount.  I also had trouble with splitting, shredding and fraying.  I’d heard about other beading threads, but none of them were readily available in my area.  Then someone on the forum mentioned fishing line, and a whole new world opened up to me.  I now use Fireline almost exclusively for beadweaving and Power Pro for fringe.

Here are some descriptions of beading threads available.  If I have experience with them, that has been noted.  Otherwise the descriptions come from merchants and bloggers all over the internet.

Nymo thread is one of the most popular threads for beadweaving. It is a slightly waxed and lightly twisted monofilament, and comes in eighteen gorgeous colors.  My problems with Nymo–stretch and splitting/shredding.

Silamide - a 2-ply twisted, waxed nylon thread that is stronger than other beading threads.  Equivalent to a size A beading thread.

Imported from Japan, SoNo thread is colorfast and best suited for size 12 beading needles. It is the same thickness as Nymo size B and can be used with seed beads. Use with or without wax, works for on- and off-loom beading.

I have no experience with SoNo, but the beader who was instrumental in developing it, Sonoko Nozue, values stretch in a beading thread to make her designs drape properly.  It is reportedly much more resistant to shredding and splitting than Nymo.

One-G Thread from Toho: The most fabulous beading thread on the market. This thread is similar to SoNo in that it is very resistant to shredding and splitting, but it does not stretch like SoNo. It is very smooth going through your beads.

C-Lon  is a UV resistant monofilament, that it comes in 36 gorgeous colors, is stretch resistant and strong (a single strand has a breaking point of 7 pounds).

The fishing lines listed below are what I use now almost exclusively.

Clear monofilament fishing line such as Vanish.  I use the 6lb or 8 lb.  Readily available at any store that sells fishing supplies or big box stores such as Wal Mart. Very affordable.
It does have some stretch which I find invaluable when making 3D figures.
Disadvantage: It is round and cannot be threaded onto a needle.  Using it without a needle is, for me, is time consuming and frustrating, but worth the effort when the project calls for a little bit of stretch and invisibility of thread.

Power Pro fishing line.  Braided microfilament line. Available anywhere fishing supplies are sold and in big box stores.  Very affordable.  Comes in green and white.  An 8 lb test line is very fine, easily threaded onto a needle.  White can be used with light colors and green with dark.  The line is so fine it blends well with the color of the beads.  I now use this only for fringe.  It is very flexible and give a beautiful drape to fringe, but for beadwork such as peyote etc.  it frays, shreds and splits as easily as Nymo.

Fireline fishing line.  Another type of braided microfilament line, Fireline isn’t quite as fine as Power Pro.  6lb test is a little larger than 8 lb Power Pro.  Sold where fishing supplies are sold and in big box stores.  Very Affordable.  If crystal color isn’t available locally, you can order it from Cabela’s .  Comes in crystal and smoke and may come in other colors as well.  Crystal is suitable for nearly all projects light and dark, as it’s a little translucent and picks up the color of the beads.  For very dark beads I like to use the smoke color, but they’ve started coating it and it has to be wiped clean before use.  I just run a damp cloth over it a couple of times.

Fire line is a round line and the end must be flattened to thread it onto a needle.  I use a pair of flat nosed pliers.  Just mash about ½ inch of the end of the line and it will go into the needle fine. Fireline is hard to cut without fraying.  Thanks to advice from another beader, I found that Kindergarten Fiscars (it has to be Kindergarten and it has to be Fiscars) will cut it with no problem.  My dressmaker Fiscars will NOT work, and neither will anything else I’ve tried.

Beading workshops abound throughout the US some sponsored by Bead&Button magazine, some by bead shows and some are simply taught in local bead shops.  If you’re new to beadwork you might be interested in taking one of these workshops just to get the feel of the beads.

If you are already a beader and are looking for some advanced workshops, check out the Bead & Button Workshop in Milwaukee, WI, May 31 through June 7 2009.  Cynthia Rutledge will be holding workshops during that week.

Cynthia’s bead patterns are usually inspired by history and tell a story.  Her web site not only shows her newest kits and describes her patterns she will be teaching at the workshop, it gives the history behind each pattern.  I find her knowledge of history an the way she presents it in her jewelry fascinating.

Her article “Exploring Lattice Weave” was featured in the December Bead&Button magazine and she’s recently been published in the book “Masters: Beadweaving, Major Works by Leading Artists” by Carol Wilcox Wells.

Can’t make the workshop?  Check out her kits .  She has a wide selection of designs and each design comes in a variety of color palettes.  Each kit comes with beads and complete instructions.

Check her calendar for other workshops and trunk shows throughout the country.

Ndebele is a bead technique named after an African tribe from which it is thought to have originated.  It is also known as Herringbone stitch, so named because of the v shapes formed by each two bead stitch. Herringbone or Ndebele, like most bead techniques has a wide variety of applications and possibilities.  The picture above shows a twisted herringbone rope, a herringbone fan pendant and a flat herring bone bracelet.  The pattern for the bracelet is called Jewel of India and was designed by Kathleen Kimball-Baker.  It appeared in Beadwork magazine, but I no longer have the magazine, so I can’t tell you which issue it was.

The twisted rope is a classic stitch and the fan pendant is my design.  Well really it was a doodle.  I was just experimenting with herringbone to see what I could mold it into.  It turned out to be one of the “keeper” doodles.

You can find a wonderfully easy to understand tutorial for flat herringbone in the Whim Beads “classroom”.  Bead Bugle has basic tutorials for flat herringbone, tubular herringbone, and herringbone increase.

Every year Jeanette Shanigan, of Wasilla, Alaska,  hosts the Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer bead quilt drive.  Each beader can submit as many 1 ½” X 1 ½” squares as they wish, and Jeanette will make them into bead quilts to auctioned off in Milwaukee in June.  All money received will go to finding a cure for breast cancer.

She has done this for several years in memory of her mother, a cancer victim. Read her story

There have already been many bead squares donated for this year and some quilts have been sewn together.  The deadline for submitting your square (s) is March 15, 2009 in order to give her plenty of time to put the quilts together.

If you’re a beader and would like to contribute to this worthy cause click here for the rules and guidelines.

If you don’t have a heart pattern to work from, you will find links on Jeanette’s site to several patterns by other beaders made especially for this project.  I’ve included pictures of two patterns I’ve made and will share with you.  Just e mail me at thebeaddoodler@live.com and ask for square # 1 or square #2.  I’ll e mail you the pattern.  Patterns include graph, color legend and word chart.

Last year 960 squares were donated.  Each quilt contains 100 squares.  Each year has seen an increase in the number of squares donated.  Lets join together and make this a banner year!

Valentine’s day is just a week away.  What do you have in mind for your favorite crafter?  A kit in his/her favorite medium, craft supplies, a pattern?  Are you thinking along the lines of something more traditional like flowers or candy?  Why not give something unique?  Quote from the Knitknut’s journal.  (Shameless plug for my favorite massage therapist)
“Hey guys, are you trying to decide on what to get your sweetie for V-Day?  How about a couple’s foot massage at Footloose?  Most treatments can be done with one therapist to a couple.  I’ll be there V-Day afternoon, and apparently we’re also going to be open the next day, which is a Sunday.  I’ll be there then, too.

Any schmuck can bring her flowers.  Only you can (yes, I’m going to say it) nurture her sole.  ”   Yes, The Knit Knut is a massage therapist, and also an avid knitter.

I don’t know if massage therapy can be considered a craft, but most of us could use a good massage from time to time.  Crissy was born with a gift.  From the time she was a little girl, she knew just where to massage to ease the pain.  She never missed!  If my head hurt, she massaged my shoulders, if her aunt’s head hurt she massaged her temples. Her massage therapy education is a tremendous accentuation to that gift.  Unfortunately she has moved far, far away from me to pursue her own life, but if you’re in the Eugene, OR area you’re in luck!  Just drop by Footloose, or call for an appointment and ask for Crissy.  I’ll guarantee you won’t be disappointed.  Of course if you aren’t in that area there are licensed massage therapists throughout the country.  You can find them at day spas, or just look in the phone book to find a private practice.

Take a day to relax and just enjoy life.  Crafting’s hard work even if it is fun and we all need a break occasionally.

P.S. Yes, Crissy is my daughter.

You’ve experienced those times when your day was all planned out and a very important (to you) project was in the works, but from the moment you got up life seemed to thwart you.  I got up yesterday morning with a head full of beading plans, very special project I was anxious to get into.  I immediately realized my kitchen sink drain pipe had come loose from the sink, flooding the cabinet underneath it.  Well this happens sometimes, so I replaced the pipe and gave it a little bump with the heel of my hand to push it up tight.  The whole basket assembly in the sink went flying in all directions.

Needless to say my beading project got put on hold until later in the day.  First I had to get on line to see if I could figure out what this “object” was called.  I was pretty sure I could replace it myself if I could find one.  The first listing to my on line query was an article from “This Old House” detailing how to replace the basket assembly in a kitchen sink.  Oh, that’s what that’s called, so I was off to the hardware store to get the needed supplies.  Long story cut short, I did manage to replace both basket assemblies in my kitchen sink and by 3:30 in the afternoon began that beading project.

While the unexpected interruption was an irritation, and the process of doing something unfamiliar was, at times, frustrating, the sense of accomplishment was pretty exhilarating.  I’m an independent old bird and I like being able to do things for myself!

So when live takes a left turn, enjoy the scenery.  Life’s too short to be trapped in the rut of daily living!  Being able to adapt to little changes on a constant basis enables you to be prepared for the big changes that are inevitable.

Beads come in a dizzying array of sizes and styles from seed beads to wooden, bone, horn, fire polished, crystal, natural stone and various types of plastic.  All of this can be quite daunting to an new beader.

Lets look at a few of these.  Acrylic beads come in nearly any shape and size that glass beads come in, but for large banners or wall hangings may be more suitable because of their light weight.  They come in sizes usually starting at 3mm and go up from there.  They are relative inexpensive and usually have fairly large holes making them perfect for beaders of any age.

Seed bead are another very confusing category.  The most popular size is 11 used in most peyote and/or brick stitch applications.  But the confusion doesn’t end there.  There are the traditional “donut” shaped seed beads used in most Native American beadwork, and there are the cylinder shaped seed beads like To Ho’s and Delicas, that are more suitable for tapestries and some types of jewelry because they fit together more perfectly.  They also come in larger sizes, 8 and 6, with the 6 being the largest.

Fire polished beads are usually faceted, and like the acrylics, start at size 3mm and go up.  The beads are shaped then put in an oven to heat almost to the melting point so that they become very smooth, making them easy to work with and insuring they don’t snag your bead thread.

Crystal beads such as Swarovsky and Celestial beads are made with lead crystal and have a much brighter appearance than fire polished beads.

Wood and horn beads come in many different sizes and shapes and are suitable for stringing and for embellishing.

Natural stone beads are a joy to work with and come in so many different sizes and shapes it’s impossible to even start to cover anything but the basic round and oval.

Take time to browse the bead section of your local WalMart or craft store before deciding what type of beading would be most suitable for you if you’re a new beader.  If you don’t have a local source there are lots of online bead stores.

For nearly any kind of beads visit http://www.rings-things.com/index.html
Fire Mountain Gems has almost any type of beads you could want and I really like their Ornella seed beads.
For the full line of Delicas (over 800 colors) visit Joan Painter at http://painterartbeads.com/