I've always been one of those "do it yourself" kind of
people, particularly when it comes to crafting. I think it must run in my
family because my grandmother, who never used any kind of books or patterns for
her crochet, made beautiful and cozy sweaters, hats, scarves, and gloves for my
sister and me when we were kids. So it sort of made sense that I wanted to
teach myself how to do beadwork, and I know there are lots of other people out
there like me!
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But boy, there are things that I wish I had known then that
I know now. I can remember spending hours and hours stringing necklaces and
bracelets, only to have them fall apart because I hadn't finished the ends
properly or I had used the wrong kind of stringing material. Had I been able to
refer to Jean Campbell's book Getting
Started Stringing Beads, I would have learned how to make durable (and
beautiful) beaded jewelry a lot faster! |
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Next, I wanted to teach myself how to do off-loom
beadweaving. I didn't know the first thing about seed beads, except that they
were small, and it took forever to pick them up off the carpet when our dog
knocked over my tiny bead tray. I had no clue about the different kinds of
beading threads, beading needles, and all the other beading tools and supplies
that you need to make beautiful beadwork. Years later, someone gave me a copy
of Dustin Wedekind's book Getting Started
with Seed Beads, and it's now a book that I recommend to my students when
they tell me they want to teach themselves how to do beadwork. |
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If you already have a firm foundation in basic off-loom
beadweaving stitches and want to explore more variations of them, then Carol
Huber Cypher's Mastering Beadwork is
the book for you. Carol takes seventeen different off-loom beadweaving stitches
and gives both comprehensive instructions for each one and then shows you how
to create beautiful variations for each. The projects are both simple and
inspiring, and the best part is that the materials are probably things you already
have in your bead stash right now! |
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So now that you have all this beading knowledge under your
belt, what do you want to learn next? Why not check out Jean Campbell's Steampunk Style Jewelry video for some
new and creative ways to use all sorts of beads and supplies to create unique
steampunk jewelry? You'll learn basic wire and jewelry-making skills such as cold
connections, resin techniques, and drilling to use your own personal found
objects in one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. |
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Finally, if you're ready to branch out into the world of
metal clay, which can be great for making your own unique metal beads and
findings, watch Susan Lewis as she gives you all the basics of working with
metal clay in Exploring Metal Clay
Basics. Before you start working with precious metal clay, you'll
definitely want to see Susan's recommendations for metal clay tools, saving
money when working with metal clay and ideas for giving your metal clay pieces
a professional look. |
Are you ready to teach yourself new beadwork skills and
techniques? Take advantage of the Interweave StashBuster sale and save big on
all of these titles and many more in the Beading
Daily shop.
Have you taught yourself how to do beadwork? What's your
best advice for someone else who is looking to teach themselves beading or
jewelry-making skills? Share your tips and stories here on the blog!
Bead Happy,
Jennifer
Filed under: Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Stringing, Steampunk Jewelry, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Jewelry Making, Beading Daily