Beading Supplies We Love : Bead-weaving, Bead Crafts

Beading Supplies I Love: Kumihimo Beading Supplies from Tapestry Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Last month, I was lucky enough to be able to take a basic kumihimo with beads class at Bead Fest Philadelphia from the amazing Jill Wiseman. It was so much fun, and I picked it up so quickly, that the next day, I signed up for her advanced kumihimo class where I learned how to add focal beads and make a two-tone hollow kumihimo braid with a core of satin cords. You could say that I'm completely hooked on kumihimo, and yes, I'm working on writing up a few tutorials on basic kumihimo for Beading Daily in the coming weeks!

But meanwhile, if you've ever wanted to learn kumihimo and you're the kind of person who learns well from printed directions, you can find everything you need to learn how to do kumihimo with beads right on Jill's website, Tapestry Beads. Here's just a sampling of the kumihimo supplies you can find there:

Basic Kumihimo with Beads Bracelet Kits

This is the project that Jill teaches in her basic kumihimo with beads class, and the very first kumihimo project that I ever made. The kit comes with everything you need to make the bracelet in purple, silver, or gold iris. (Pretty colors!) The step-by-step instructions leave nothing out, from setting up your kumihimo disc to stringing on your beads to actually starting that first braid. You'll be amazed at how quickly this bracelet comes together -- you really can finish it in an evening.

If you've already mastered the basics of kumihimo and just want an easy project with beads, you can purchase a kit refill that comes with everything except the instructions. Jill's kumihimo with beads instructions are also available individually, without the kit materials.

Kumihimo Discs and Bobbins

Now that you're hooked on kumihimo like I am, you'll probably have four or five kumihimo projects going at once. Tapestry Beads sells more kumihimo discs and bobbins to help feed your need for making these beaded braids! (And the extra bobbins are also great for winding on long lengths of beading thread when you decide to hit the road with your bead-weaving projects, too!)

Kumihimo End Caps

I love the whole finishing process for my kumihimo braids, and the end caps are my favorite part! End caps and cones make for a nice, neat finish to your fun beaded kumihimo bracelets and necklaces, and Tapestry Beads has a wonderful assortment for the adventurous kumihimo beginner. There are huge end caps that can be used with size 6^o seed beads (or larger), and smaller end caps for smaller beads.

The only thing you can't purchase from Tapestry Beads online (yet) is the S-Lon or C-Lon cord we used for our beaded kumihimo projects. You can usually find S-Lon or C-Lon cord at your local bead shop, or for online sources, try Sparkle Spot Bead Shop or Caravan Beads.

Even if kumihimo isn't your thing (yet), make sure you spend some time checking out all the fabulous bead-weaving kits and projects that Jill has for sale at Tapestry Beads, including signed copies of her new book, Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Beading Books I Love: Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry from Lark Books

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:00:00 GMT

What do Jean Campbell, Marcia DeCoster, Jean Power, Rachel Nelson-Smith, Sherry Serafini, Nancy Cain, Diane Fitzgerald, Leslie Frazier, Margie Deeb, Kelly Angeley, Laura McCabe, Lisa Kan, Leslie Rogalski, and Melanie Potter, all have in common? In addition to being incredibly talented beaders, they all have beadwork featured in the newest book in Lark's 500 series, Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry.

Author and juror Ray Hemachandra has undertaken the monumental task of putting together a collection of beadwork from bead artists all over the world and turned it into a tribute to the craft of fine beadwork, written in the voices of those whom it is actually meant to recognize. The finished beadwork presented in this book ranges from intricate bead-weaving done with seed beads to artful stringing, and includes beads made from fibers, handmade glass beads, and mixed media jewelry using found objects of all kinds.

Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry is truly a testament to the humble bead, and how those beads allow each of us to express who we really are while at the same time uniting us in our thoughts, our dreams, and our spirit. No doubt that while you're perusing the pages of this book, you'll recognize many of the names of the artists included in this book. But I think that you'll also be delighted with the work of the artists whose names may not be so familiar.

As a source of inspiration, this is one book that you'll find yourself coming back to, over and over again. The colors, shapes, textures, materials, and techniques used in the beaded jewelry will have you looking at your own beaded jewelry design ideas in an entirely new way. It is a book in which you can easily lose yourself, only to come back with a fresh perspective on the age-old techniques of beading and bead-weaving.

You can find more information about Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry on the Lark Crafts website.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Ray Hemachandra, juror and author of Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry, also works as the team lead and business manger for Lark Jewelry and Beading. He has authored or been senior editor for other books in the Lark 500 series.

More information: Lark Crafts

Bead Hoard Curiosities Club for June

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:32:00 GMT

This month's little box from A Grain of Sand's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club was full of fun -- and very useful! -- vintage beads.

I've always loved metallic vintage beads, and this month's hoard was full of beautiful metal and metallic vintage beads, as well as some very cool metal jewelry making components. I loved the patterned ovals that were included in this month's box -- they are going to make beautiful earrings! A handful of beautiful corrugated metal beads included this month will work as either spacers or focal beads in a beaded necklace design, but I'm thinking that they might also work nicely in my top-secret Battle of the Beadsmith piece.

These flat, wavy plastic discs definitely caught my attention. Years ago, I purchased a strand of onyx beads in a similar shape, but they were much larger and much heavier than these lightweight vintage bead beauties! I can see mixing them with some vintage pearls or freshwater pearls for a classy date-night beaded necklace and bracelet set.

And speaking of lightweight vintage beads -- there was a smattering of beautiful lightweight plastic vintage flower beads in this month's Bead Hoard Curiosities Club shipment! I love using these in bracelets for a "garden" effect. Just make a strip of right-angle weave, peyote stitch, or even herringbone stitch, and embellish to your heart's content with these lovelies!

The most intriguing find in this month's shipment was a set of long, drilled, twisted Lucite tube beads. They reminded me of the vintage icicle Christmas ornaments my mother used to hang on our Christmas tree, and using them will most definitely be a wonderful design challenge for me. The textured Lucite teardrop-shaped cabochon will also be another fun design challenge.

Last, but not least, my favorite find from this month's shipment was a whole bag of drilled shells. Seeing these instantly transported me back to high school, when making macrame necklaces with shells and clay beads was my favorite jewelry making projects. This time around, however, I'm thinking about a slightly more sophisticated beaded jewelry design idea. Perhaps an embellished beaded rope?

Interested in claiming your stake in the huge vintage bead hoard? You can join the Bead Hoard Curiosities Club through A Grain of Sand, even for just one month, and get your own box of vintage bead treasures. Suzanne Branca hand-picks the contents for each box from some of the best finds as she and her staff sort through this amazing hoard of vintage beads and jewelry making components!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Things to Bead Around: Large Cabone Rings

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:00:00 GMT


These cabone rings can be found in any craft supply store with the yarn notions and make fabulous focal beads when covered with your favorite beading stitch!

I'm a craft store junky. If I have to run into my local bead crafts store to pick up just one or two things for a project, I always find myself migrating over to the yarn and fine art supplies to see if there's anything interesting that I can bead around or use to store my seed beads. Of course, there's always something new in the other craft supplies that I can use for my beading!

My latest craft store find are these wonderful cabone rings that I found with the yarn, knitting and crocheting notions. I remember my mother and my grandmother using smaller rings like these to make hundreds of crocheted potholders, and in her most recent book, Rachel Nelson-Smith uses the smaller rings to make wonderful beaded toggle clasps.

These large rings are about two inches (50mm) in diameter, so they may be a bit big for use as a toggle clasp, but they certainly make fabulous focal beads and links when you cover them with your favorite beading stitch! I started beading around my first ring with right-angle weave, and I'm experimenting with peyote stitch and herringbone stitch as well to add different textures and patterns.

Being fascinated with symbols the way I am, these rings are perfect for making all sorts of meaningful beading projects. Mandalas, wheels and circles are all spiritually significant symbols that can be interpreted with beads in many ways. They can be painted, embellished or wrapped with fibers, ribbons, and cords.

Look for some new tutorials in the next few weeks where I'll show you how to cover these with different beading stitches! Beaded rings make awesome components for your original beaded jewelry designs!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Things to Bead Around: Sticks from Lake Champlain

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Do you feel the need to branch out a bit in your beading? Well, all puns aside, my newest beading project obsession is beading around sticks!


The beach on Lake Champlain, looking towards Vermont. Photo by Sharon Schenckel.

I'm lucky enough that I get to live in what I think is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, near the shores of Lake Champlain. The weather up here can be a bit unpredictable -- in the last two years, we've had record-breaking snowstorms, floods and tornadoes! But living in the middle of these beautiful forests, rivers and lakes is really a very important part of what inspires me and my beadwork. The colors and shapes I see in nature provide many of the ideas I translate into beading projects.

During the winter, I love to take my son for a walk along the beach and we collect rocks and sticks that have been tumbled and polished smooth by the water. Just after New Year's, we took one of our walks with some relatives who were visiting for the holidays, and my niece helped me collect some very beautiful and interesting-looking sticks for me to start beading.

Beading around sticks is nothing new. Native Americans have been using natural objects for beading for hundreds of years, and both Wendy Ellsworth and artist NanC Meinhardt both have used sticks as the foundation for some beautiful beading projects that are also a source of self-exploration and spiritual growth.


	My niece helped me pick out this assortment of sticks from a beach on Lake Champlain.

I chose these sticks with the help of my niece because of the things they reminded me of when I saw them lying on the beach. Their shapes and even the colors of the water-washed wood gave me inspiration, and my recent trip to Tucson gave me some new color palettes to explore.

Choosing a stick. Choosing your sticks is really a very personal process. Find a patch of trees or a beach that holds meaning for you, or set out to explore a new part of your world. While you take a quiet walk, look around to see what speaks to you or what makes a connection in your mind. Try not to choose a stick that's too large or too difficult for you to carry out with you. You might meditate on a recent event or a question you have while looking for your stick.

Preparing your stick. Once you're ready to bead your stick, it's usually a good idea to clean it with a mild detergent and allow it to fully dry. You can carefully remove any rough patches of bark with a Dremel tool and smooth out other bumps with sand paper. If your stick has lots of little branches on it, feel free to nip them off with a small saw or clipper to make it a pleasing shape.

Then...just bead it! I've picked out a palette of colors for my stick, and I'll go with it and see where it leads. As I bead, I'll probably add some cabochons, buttons and maybe even some fibers to finish it. The beauty of making a beaded stick is that it can really turn into a wonderful mixed-media project that uses whatever craft supplies you might have handy.

Beading a stick can be a wonderful way of marking a transition or commemorating a special event in your life. I also like to look at this kind of beading project as a way to get me back in touch with the natural world around me.

What kind of unusual object from nature have you wanted to bead around? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Beading Looms: Mirrix Beading Looms Product Review

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:18:00 GMT


The Little Guy 12" beading and tapestry loom by Mirrix Looms is a great gift for yourself or for someone else!

My first beading loom was one of those "Native American" beading looms that I got for five dollars from a big box craft store when I was in high school. It was how I learned to work with seed beads, and I still have that beading loom tucked away in a plastic tackle box in the depths of my bead stash.

These days, however, I'm using a much more sophisticated piece of beading equipment when I want to do beading loom work. For the last two years, I've been working on a Mirrix beading loom, and I don't think I could ever use anything else.

Mirrix beading looms aren't necessarily the "prettiest" beading looms that you'll see. But they are built and assembled considerably better than other beading looms in the same price range. The Mirrix beading loom is built from a series of metal components that give you absolute control over your tension and warp lengths, and the shedding device is fantastic for making bead and fiber tapestries, like the bead and tapestry cuff bracelet kits they offer on their website.

My Little Guy loom (12 inches across) is also perfect for doing small tapestries. Weighing around five pounds, this lightweight loom fits comfortably in your lap and can also stand on a table using the padded fold-out legs. Setting up and warping the loom was easy to do using the video included with the loom, and if you need other assistance, Claudia and Elena at Mirrix will be happy to direct you to the numerous tutorials available on the Mirrix website. (They are also very happy to answer any questions sent to them via email!)

The construction of these looms means that they will last a lifetime, so this is a seriously good investment for anyone who loves to do loomed beadwork. Combined with the Mirrix company's fabulous customer service, a Mirrix beading loom is an investment you can feel good about.

You can find everything you need to get started with these beading looms including supplies, beading and tapestry kits and beading patterns, on the Mirrix Looms website.

Have you ever used a Mirrix beading loom? Which model did you use? Leave a comment and share your experiences here on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

THOSE are Beading Supplies?

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Yep, we beaders are definitely a creative and thrifty bunch. When it comes to our beading supplies, there are lots of items that we "borrow" from other crafts that work just as well when it comes to our beloved beads!

Recently, I discovered a few really great beading supplies and beading tools that do double-time as supplies for other crafts and hobbies!


Yes, we beaders can get pretty creative when it comes to our beading supplies! Pictured above: fishing line cutters, plastic rings (used for crocheted potholders) and floss bobbins.

Thread bobbins. I hijacked these beading supplies from the cross-stitch and embroidery section of my local craft store. These handy little plastic thread bobbins are perfect for when I start a project with an extra-long length of beading thread. I wrap the thread around the bobbin starting in the center and use the first half. Then when I'm ready to start beading the other side of the project, I just unwind the thread, add a needle and go! No worries about adding a new thread. You can find these thread bobbins in both plastic and cardboard. (I prefer the plastic ones because they hold up longer.)

Rapala fishing-line cutters. A few weeks ago, my husband was looking for something to cut the fishing line on his favorite fishing reel, and his eyes fell on the Rapala cutters on my beading tray. "Rapala?" he spluttered. Well, of course it makes sense: since I use Fireline for pretty much all of my beadweaving projects these days, these scissors are the perfect cutters for me! You can find these scissors at most outdoor stores in the fishing section. (Right next to the Fireline.)

Tackle boxes. And speaking of fishing gear - one of my all-time favorite bead storage and carrying cases is this soft-sided tackle box that I found in a local department store. The big advantage here was the price: it cost me less than half of what I would have paid for a similar carrying and storage case had I purchased it through a regular beading supply company. Another benefit of this tackle box/bead storage bag is that it has lots and lots of pockets for my color wheel, sketchbook, extra pens, and other beading supplies!


	Another reason to hit the outdoor supply store with my husband: I scored my favorite tackle box/beading tote!

Dental floss threader. These beading supplies can come in handy for keeping your teeth shiny and clean, too! A few years ago while pregnant with my son, I discovered that using my dental floss threader was a great way to get my beading wire through a tight spot. (One of many things that I discovered while dealing with pregnancy-related insomnia during the long nights of winter!) To use a dental floss threader, slip your beading wire through the large hole, leaving a short tail. Insert the long end of the threader into the bead and pull gently until the beading wire is through the bead. These beading supplies are great for when you just need that little extra "oomf!" to get your beading wire where it needs to be.

Plastic craft rings. My mom and my grandmother used to make crocheted potholders, and they made a LOT of crocheted potholders. Consequently, we always had lots of these little plastic rings around the house when I was a kid. Well, in her latest book, Rachel Nelson-Smith has come up with a brilliant use for these little rings: bead around them and make them into custom beaded toggle clasps for your beadwork! They are the perfect size for necklace toggles, and you can use either herringbone stitch or right-angle weave to make easy custom toggles for all your handmade jewelry projects!

Take a good look through your bead and crafting supplies: which of your beading supplies is pulling double duty? Leave a comment and share your favorite "unusual" beading supplies with us here on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Beading Needles I Love: New Tulip Brand Beading Needles from Japan

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:00:00 GMT

Ever since Carole Cypher returned from her adventures in Japan last year, I've been hearing about these amazing new beading needles that she brought back with her. Tulip needles were reputed to be stronger, more flexible, and less likely to bend and break than other types of beading needles.

Tulip beading needles from Japan come in these neat little tubes!

The first thing I noticed about these needles is the little plastic tubes in which they're packaged. Little tubes with cork stoppers - the stoppers came out pretty easy when I was removing each tube from its box, so putting them in another type of storage container - either a needle case or a magnetic needle book - is going to be important. When I picked up the first needle, I noticed that it definitely had a heft to it that you just don't feel with the John James or Pony needles. The Tulip needles are size 11, so yes, they are bigger than the size 12 needles that I've been using, but not quite as thick as the size 10 sharps that I sometimes use. The heft and thickness made me worry about getting the needle through a size 15^o seed bead multiple times without breaking the needle and/or the bead.

The eye of the Tulip beading needle is gold plated.

Looking closely at the Tulip needle, I noticed that it does indeed have gold plating around the eye, and it was much easier to thread this slightly larger needle with my favorite 6 lb and 10 lb test Fireline than a regular size 12 beading needle.

It was time to put this needle to the test, and I had the perfect project: I had been working on a three-dimensional flower made from five separate peyote-stitched petals with a Swarovski crystal Rivoli in the center. The petals needed to be assembled and the Rivoli attached in the center of the petals. If there was ever a test for getting a needle in and out of a tight spot, this was it.

I used the Tulip beading needle to assemble this peyote stitch flower and attach the Rivoli in the center. And it stayed as straight as it had been when I took it out of the package!

I was feeling a little nervous as I stitched through the size 11^o cylinder beads along the edges of the petals and even more nervous as I tried to work the needle through the tightly stitched peyote in the center of the petals. But even when I had to use my pliers to wiggle through a tight spot, the Tulip beading needle kept its shape, and I didn't break a single bead!

After stitching the bezel for the Rivoli and attaching it in the center of the newly assembled flower, I was hooked. The Tulip beading needle performed flawlessly, and it was just as straight as it was when I slid it out of the tube.

I used the same needle to add some heavy embellishment to a beaded bag that I was working on for a group project, and it still held its shape. This time, I used all size 15^o seed beads and some gemstone drops and rounds with smaller holes. The size 11 Tulip needle had no problems passing through both the seed beads and the gemstone beads with a length of 6 lb test Fireline. I was totally amazed.

While the Tulip beading needles cost more than the Pony needles or the John James beading needles, I think this is an investment worth making for anyone who is a serious beader. Tulip beading needles seem like they will last longer and are less prone to bending and breaking than the Pony and John James beading needles.

Ask for Tulip brand beading needles at your favorite bead shop or contact Carol Cypher for a list of bead shops where you can purchase them.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer