Daily Blogs : Bead-weaving, Seed Bead Patterns, Beading Tools

How to Bead Comfortably

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT

It's not often that I get a long stretch of hours to sit and bead lately, but when I do, I take full advantage of it. Most of the time, I only get a few minutes here and there to sit down and bead, so when an opportunity for a marathon beading session presents itself, I take advantage of it! The trick to getting the most out of the time spend beading is knowing how to bead comfortably.

When I first started learning how to bead, I'd plop myself down on the bedroom floor, cross-legged in front of the television, with my beads spread around me. While it wasn't the best setup, it worked for me for a few years, until I started getting serious about beading and found myself spending more and more time in front of my beads. After I injured my back doing something completely unrelated to beading, I discovered that knowing how to bead comfortably for long periods of time was more important than I had previously thought.

Do you find yourself suffering from an aching back and tired eyes when you spend long hours with your beads? Here are a couple of ideas to help you learn how to bead comfortably!

Setting Up a Place to Bead


	Before sitting down to bead, do what the great chefs do and make sure that all of your tools and materials are easily accessible!

There are three basic things you need in order to set up a comfortable place to bead: a sturdy table or work surface for beading, a comfortable chair that provides plenty of support to your lower back, and proper lighting and magnification if needed.

A sturdy table or work surface. My bead surface of choice lately is one of my favorite Bead On It Boards. These nifty bead boards are perfect for setting in your lap or on a table. The high, rolled edges mean that beads can run down to the sides of your work area, but they won't disappear off the edge of your board. And, yes, when you give it a gently shake, all those seed beads really do land with the holes up for easy beading!
A comfortable chair. Your chair should be your best friend when you're beading. Make sure that your feet touch the floor, and if you need to, don't be afraid to sit on a low pillow to provide extra support for your back.
Proper lighting and magnification if needed. If you have to squint to see your beads, then chances are, you need to improve your lighting or magnification when you sit down to bead. For over ten years, I've used the same trusty Ott-Lite task lamp when I sit down to bead. It's portable and light, so I take it with me on the road, too, when I'm traveling to classes or workshops. And since last summer, I've found that using my CraftOptics telescopes are indispensable for my bead embroidery projects or any beading project where I'm using size 15^o seed beads!

My favorite place to bead lately is at my computer desk. Since I have a laptop and don't use the keyboard tray, I keep my bead tray there so I can just roll it away under the desk when I'm finished! (But don't be fooled -- I'm also just as comfortable setting up my bead tray on the couch or outside on the back porch when the weather is nice!)

Another great tip for setting up a comfortable place to bead comes from one of my favorite bead artists, Carol Cypher. She recommends that beaders imitate what great chefs do, and set up their work areas in a "mise en place". This means that you have all of your tools and supplies set up where you can easily reach them.

Ergonomic Beading Tips


	They might look funny, but my CraftOptics are a very important part of staying comfortable when I'm beading!

Once you're set up in a comfortable spot for beading, it's important to pay attention to your body while you're working. I know it's all too easy to get lost in the meditation of bead-weaving, but sitting in one spot without moving for hours and hours will leave me with an aching back, tired eyes, aching wrists, and even a headache.

There are lots of beading tools that you can use to help you be more comfortable when you bead, including ergonomic gloves and easy-to-handle jewelry pliers. More tips for learning how to bead comfortably:

Take a stretching break. This one is the hardest for me, but it definitely makes a difference. Set a timer, watch a movie, or do something to remind yourself to get up out of your chair about once an hour to walk around, stretch your legs, and stretch your arms. You don't have to do a lot of stretching, either -- just a lap around the house or raising your arms above your head and taking a few deep breaths will help you stay limber and comfortable.
Try an exercise band. Some beaders keep an exercise band handy while they're working to use throughout the day. Just a couple of easy pulls can help keep your arms, shoulders, neck, and upper back happy for long periods of time!
Don't forget about your lower back. Speaking as someone who has dealt with low back pain, you can never be too kind to your back! If you're feeling achy or sore at all in your lower back, make sure you have a comfortable pillow or cushion to provide support while you work. A couple of years ago after a particularly bad episode of low back pain, I invested in a special chair that's actually an exercise ball set in a frame. When I'm not 100% comfortable in my office chair, I can easily switch over to the ball chair for some relief!

The best part of learning how to bead comfortably? You'll find that you can get more beading done! More beading means more beautiful beaded jewelry for gifts or for yourself, right?

Now that you're ready to sit and bead in comfort, check out 8 Favorite Beaded Bezel Projects. Taken straight from the pages of Beadwork magazine, these eight beading projects will teach you everything you need to know about creating beautiful (and secure) beaded bezels. Learn how to capture your favorite gemstones, donuts, and crystal stones with these eight fabulous beaded bezel projects! Download your copy of 8 Favorite Beaded Bezel Projects and test out some new ways to help yourself bead comfortably.

What's your best tip for helping yourself stay comfortable when you get the chance to bead for hours at a time? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your advice and tips with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Great Advice From My Favorite Stitch Pro: Jean Campbell

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Jean Campbell has long been someone that I look to for information and advice about everything related to beaded jewelry design. Along with her sense of humor and her twenty-plus years of beading experience, she's an absolute treasure trove of tips, techniques, and inspiration for those of us who love to bead!

Jean writes the Stitch Pro column for Beadwork magazine, and she also shares her beady musings with us on the Inside Beadwork Magazine blog here on Beading Daily. I picked out five of my favorites to share with you!

		Jean Campbell's 10 Must-Have Beading Tools. Are you looking to put together the perfect beading tool kit? Jean has recommendations for beading tools that every beader should have! A well-stocked tool kit is essential for anyone who wants to create their own beaded jewelry designs, so take a look and see what you should have to round out your collection of beading tools.

		Stitch Pro: Taming the RAW Monster. Right-angle weave is one of those beading stitches that can be a bear to master, but the payoffs are fantastic. If you've ever struggled with right-angle weave, Jean has some excellent tips for making right-angle weave much easier to navigate.

		Stitch Pro: In Search of the Perfect Clasp. Like anyone who dreams up and then creates their own beaded jewelry designs, finding the perfect finishing touch can be a challenge. Jean has come up with a brilliant way of using this Tierra Cast s-clasp for finishing a piece of beaded jewelry!

		Stitch Pro: Breaking Bad...Beads. Oh, sometimes those pesky little seed beads just don't want to behave themselves! If you've ever found yourself in a position where an extra seed bead or two has slipped into the wrong place in one of your beaded jewelry designs, Jean shows us two ways to safely break those beads right out!

		How to Become a Stitch Pro. Yep, knowing all the variations of all the different bead-weaving stitches out there can seem like a monumental task. But if you want to work on your own beaded jewelry designs, it helps to have at least a basic understand of the most popular variations of brick stitch, peyote stitch, herringbone stitch, and right-angle weave. Jean has come up with this handy reference chart that you can use to track your progress as you become a Stitch Pro!

Now, how would you like to learn four of Jean's most popular floral beaded jewelry designs? Watch as Jean takes you through each of four designs, one stitch at a time, to create one beaded ring, two beaded bracelets, and one showstopping necklace in Jean Campbell's Best Beading Workshops: Floral Designs. Not only will you improve your bead-weaving skills with each project, but you'll end up with four amazing pieces of beaded jewelry to add to your wardrobe! Pre-order your copy of Jean Campbell's Best Beading Workshops: Floral Designs and get ready for three hours of pure beading bliss! (Can't wait to get started? Jean Campbell's Best Beading Workshops: Floral Designs is also available as an instant download in high-definition!)

What's the best beading tip you ever received? Who was it from? Why did it make a difference? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your stories with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Start Designing Your Own Beaded Jewelry, Part 3: Putting It All Together

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Earlier this week, I showed you how to stitch up some easy herringbone bezels for beads, and then how to make a right-angle weave necklace base, all part of my Beaded Jewelry Design week here on Beading Daily. Today, we're going to look at techniques for putting them all together into one, beautiful beaded necklace!

The inspiration for my color palette on this particular piece was from a handmade lampwork glass bead made by none other than Amy Blevins of Bead & Glass Boutique in Pitman, New Jersey. (I visited Amy's shop when I was in town for Bead Fest Philadelphia last summer, and her beautiful glass bead just had to come home with me!) So, focal bead in hand, and necklace parts strewn across my bead board, it was time to figure out what my final beaded jewelry design was going to look like.

Attaching the Bezeled Beads

Remember when I told you to leave those thread tails nice and long? Well, now we're going to use those thread tails to attach the beads with the herringbone bezels to the right-angle weave base. Once you've figured out where you want each element to go, mark the spot with a small piece of beading thread.

I decided that I wanted to outline each bezeled bead with a length of herringbone stitch, so I made a herringbone tube long enough to wrap around each of the bezeled beads. I attached the first bezeled bead in the center of the necklace base, then wrapped the herringbone tube around it to get the idea for how to space the remaining elements, marking each place with a small length of beading thread that I clipped out after I attached the bead.

Using the thread tail, stitch into the set of 3 beads in the necklace base, then back up into the bezeled bead. Repeat the thread path a few times, then weave through the herringbone stitch bezel to get into position for the next attachment.

Make four attachments per bezeled bead in order to secure them to the necklace base.

After all the beads were attached, I tacked down the herringbone tube. I gave my tube a little bit of a twist as I tacked it down to give it some texture. A good trick here is to work from the back of the necklace, so that you aren't bumping into the bezeled beads that you attached to the front. I also stitched the herringbone tube to the top of the herringbone bezels as I went around for good measure.

Embellishing the Strap

The next step in the beaded jewelry design process is to add a little embellishment to the rest of the right-angle weave necklace base. I had a nice little bag of crystal rondelles in my stash that worked very well with this color palette, so I stitched them into the right-angle corners of the necklace base using size 15 seed beads.


	*The tiny crystal rondelles stitched to the necklace strap add just a hint of sparkle without being too obvious.*

The smaller crystal beads give the rest of the necklace a hint of sparkle without being too overwhelming. For a more dramatic look, you can use drop beads, Magatamas (long drop beads), or peanut beads. Experiment to see what you like best!

Adding Fringe

Designing and adding fringe to a necklace is always the hardest part of the beaded jewelry design process for me. I started out with a strand of branched fringe using deep blue seed beads and cream drops, but I wasn't happy with the placement of it. Back to the drawing board! I'm sure I'll figure out something over the weekend before the final reveal on Monday, right?

Other ideas for fringe don't have to be so dramatic. Sometimes, just a tiny drop or a spike bead stitched between units of right-angle weave is enough. Small loops of seed beads spaced evenly along each side of the necklace also work nicely when you want to make it a more elegant piece -- remember, sometimes less really is more!

More Inspiration for Your Own Beaded Jewelry Designs

I've always said that if you want to learn how to make your own beaded jewelry designs, a good place to start is to look through the pages of your favorite beading magazine. For me, that's always been Beadwork magazine. I always keep my copies handy to look for inspiration and ideas that I can incorporate into my beaded jewelry designs, and now that they're available in digital format, it makes it even easier to find just what I'm looking for!

Whether you're new to beading, or you've been working with seed beads and creating your own beaded jewelry designs for years, you'll want to grab a copy of The Beadwork Ultimate Collection, now at a special price! It's a special collection of seven years' worth of Beadwork magazine on CD, with all the same original content as the print editions. Grab your copy (while you can) of The Beadwork Ultimate Collection and watch the evolution of beaded jewelry design unfold!

I'd love to hear your suggestions for finishing my necklace this weekend! What kind of fringe should I use? Should I add some more embellishment to the neck strap? What about the clasp? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and let's share our beaded jewelry design ideas!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Are You a Bead Star?

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Have you ever thought about entering a jewelry-making competition? Whether your new to jewelry-making, or you've been creating your own beaded jewelry designs for several years, taking that leap and entering your work in a competition can be a fulfilling and eye-opening experience. Entering a jewelry-making competition is really a chance to let your creative voice sing. Don't hold back when designing for a jewelry-making contest -- you want to show the world what you can do with those beads!

If you're thinking that this is the year for you to take the leap and enter your original beaded jewelry designs in a jewelry-making competition, you'll be thrilled to hear that Bead Star is back!

Sharpen and straighten those beading needles, because entries are now being accepted for the 2013 Bead Star competition, and if you're a designer of beaded jewelry, take note: this year, entries made with seed beads and bead-weaving techniques are not only being accepted in all of the categories, they are being encouraged!

What are your favorite jewelry-making materials? Chances are, you'll find a category for them in the 2013 Bead Star competition. Entries will be accepted in the categories of Crystals, Glass, Pearls, Gemstones, and Metals & Wireworking. Imagine all the possibilities for fabulous jewelry-making designs when you mix those with your favorite seed beads!

Aside from the self-satisfaction you'll get from knowing that your work is good enough to enter in a beading contest, you just might win one of the fabulous prizes in the Bead Star competition: the grand prize is an all-expense paid trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia!

Don't worry if you've never been published in a magazine or book before -- there's even an Emerging Artists category, just for bead artists like you! And all the winners of the 2013 Bead Star competition will be published in both Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines.

If you've entered Bead Star before, a few changes have been made to the competition for 2013, so make sure you check out the full list of Bead Star rules and prizes.

So, what do you think: are you the next Bead Star?

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Spool Beaded Beads

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Aside from having really cool and gently used clothing, my local thrift shop is a great place to find craft supplies for my beading projects! I love to dig through the bins of sewing notions and craft supplies, looking for unusual items that I can use. My three best finds so far include a large package of bone rings for beading around, a tiny sewing kit tucked into a red floral silk pouch, and a bag of old wood spools for making beaded beads.

These wooden spools make great beaded beads because they're so easy to bead around -- all you need is a quick strip of peyote stitch to wrap around the spool, or you can work tubular peyote stitch around the spool itself. I was too lazy to come up with a great charted peyote stitch pattern, but I did want to play with color a little bit and make something bright and cheery to fend off the winter doldrums.

Painting the Spools

Before I started beading around the spools, I used some acrylic paint to give them some color. The gold spools required at least three coats of paint to cover the wood. I didn't use a clear acrylic sealer on the painted spools, but if you do use something like Krylon, make sure it's in a well-ventilated area!

My five-year-old son had a blast helping me paint these spools, so this makes a great activity for snow days when your crafty kids are home from school, too.

Choosing the Beads

Like I said earlier, I wanted to do something cheerful and warm with these beaded beads, so I chose some bright marigold-colored seed beads and some matte silver-lined blue seed beads for the spools themselves. I don't usually use this color palette, but it just felt right when I saw all the beads on my bead board, along with a strand of oval dyed quartz and some vintage gold rounds from A Grain of Sand.

I worked tubular peyote stitch right around the spools themselves, and each one only took me about twenty minutes to bead. It was the perfect evening project to do while I got caught up on episodes of Downton Abbey, and the next day, I had my spool beaded beads all ready for stringing!

Stringing the necklace together was the best part of the project. I finished it with a gold s-clasp and made it just a bit longer than 17" so that I can wear it with my favorite t-shirts in the summer, too. Sometimes, the best beaded beads are the simplest, right?

Once you master the art of easy beaded beads like these, check out the February/March 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine where you'll find the winners of the 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest!

Taking the art of beaded beads to a whole new level, there were five beautiful beaded beads designed by some of today's most talented bead artists, and each entry in the 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest had to use at least one of each bead in their finished design. The range of designs and colors will astound and delight you!

If you can't wait to see who the winners were, you can also download the February/March 2013 Beadwork magazine instantly onto your favorite desktop or laptop computer.

And if you need another reason to get the latest issue of Beadwork Magazine, how about four great beading projects from the brand-new Designers of the Year, new beading tools and book reviews, and twenty more beading projects?

What's your favorite way to make beaded beads, easy or intricate? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your thoughts with us!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Less Than 24 Hours Left to Save On My Favorite Beading Resources

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Yes! You have less than 24 hours left to save big on some of my favorite beading resources during the Resolve to Save Sale in the Beading Daily Shop! Why take advantage of this great sale? For starters, you can round out your collection of beading books with some essential, must-have reference books.

Best Beading Book Deals Under Eight Bucks

		The Beader's Companion was one of the first beading reference books I ever bought, and my copy is so worn out and dog-eared that it's probably worth it for me to replace it by now. Whether you're an experienced beader who knows the ins and outs of bead-weaving, or if you're a beginner just getting hooked on this marvelous craft, you'll be doing yourself a favor to get a copy of The Beader's Companion. Wonderful illustrations, helpful instructions, and comprehensive information about beading supplies and beading tools make this a must for every beader's bookshelf.

		When I first got a look at Carol Cypher's Mastering Beadwork, I wished that it had been available when I started beading thirteen years ago. If someone asks me for a recommendation of a beading "textbook", this is, invariably, the book I recommend. Not only are Carol's instructions clear and beautifully written, I love the way she encourages you to experiment with these classic bead-weaving stitches on your own with her "Try This..." suggestions. An added bonus feature: the book is spiral-bound so that it lays flat while you're working.

Is your beading book library missing a couple of the classics?

Challenge yourself in 2013 to add new techniques to your bead-weaving projects with Rachel Nelson-Smith's Seed Bead Fusion. Rachel takes beadwork to a whole new level in her innovative, three-dimensional designs, and her use of wire wrapping techniques with seed beads isn't like anything I've ever seen before. If, like me, you've ever avoided wire jewelry making projects for one reason or another, this is the book that will change your mind about mixing jewelry making techniques for fabulous modern beaded jewelry.

And speaking of three-dimensional beading projects, Diane Fitzgerald's The Beaded Garden is another classic that belongs in every beader's library. Before we were making three-dimensional geometric shapes with our beading needles and thread, we were making beaded flowers like these. These beaded flowers work up fast and easy, and be modified in so many ways! Make your beadwork bloom with creativity when you learn how to stitch up these beauties!

Go Digital With Beadwork Magazine

I've been reading Beadwork magazine faithfully as long as I can remember being interested in beads. And if you're like me and want to preserve your precious paper copies, having Beadwork magazine available as a digital download is the best thing since FireLine beading thread!

If you think it's time to pack away or donate your paper magazines and replace them with digital copies, this is the time to do it. During the Resolve to Save sale, you can download an entire year of Beadwork magazine, complete with all of the original content, for less than ten bucks. Replace all your paper copies going back to 2005 with digital copies, and make room on your shelves for more beads, right?

Learn How to Customize Your Beadwork For Less Than Nine Bucks

I'm one of those people who learn best when I see something demonstrated in front of me. But because traveling to a class isn't always possible for me, I'm so thankful for great beading videos that I can download right onto my desktop of laptop! There's something of the instant gratification factor at play here, too, because when you download a video, it only takes a few minutes before you can take out your beads and start stitching.

The other bonus? You can rewind and watch the video as often as you need, until you're comfortable with the beading techniques being demonstrated. What's not to love?

Learning how to capture objects without a hole (like cabochons and crystal stones) opens up worlds of design possibilities for your beading projects. In How to Stitch Beaded Bezels, Melinda Barta takes you through six easy lessons that show you how to use your favorite bead-weaving stitches to create secure and beautiful beaded bezels.

And after watching Melinda's How to Stitch Custom Clasps, my new favorite phrase is, "No clasp? No problem!" Once you find out just how easy it is to use your favorite bead-weaving stitches to create your own clasps to complement your favorite beaded jewelry designs, you'll probably never buy another pre-made clasp again!

These fantastic beading bargains won't last long -- the big Resolve to Save Sale is over tonight, January 29, 2013 at 12:00 midnight CST, so head on over to the Beading Daily Shop to see what else is on sale!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Are You a Beader?

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

We beaders have very distinct patterns of behavior, wouldn't you agree? Sometimes, I catch myself doing something, and I think, gee, only a real beader would do something as crazy as this. Do any of these sound familiar to you?

Five Warning Signs That You Might Be a Beader

You might be a beader, if...you haven't seen the surface of your dining room table in the last six months. Yes, this also applies to your coffee table, kitchen table, sofa, or favorite armchair, too. In my case, the beads tend to overflow from my little corner office desk in the living room into the dining room, into the bedroom, and even into the kitchen once in a while. Does those little beads have legs, or what?

You might be a beader, if...you've ever made a New Year's resolution to buy less beads and use more of what's in your stash. Admit it, when you thought about what you wanted to change in 2013, you probably thought that you wanted to do more beading projects to use up all the beads you have in your stash. I did, too, until I saw that one of my favorite online bead suppliers had a brand-new stock of Rizo beads. That resolution didn't even last a week, I'm ashamed to say.

You might be a beader, if...you start six new beading projects before you finished the first one you originally started. This could be why my beads tend to spread themselves out all over the house. I started a bead-weaving project on one of my new Bead On It boards, and then before I was halfway finished with that one, I had an idea for another beading project that I just couldn't wait to get started! Thankfully, I had another empty beading board, so I started that beading project. But then I ran out of room on my desk, so I parked the new project on the dining room table...and so on. It's almost like I suffer from Beader's Attention Deficit Disorder or something.

You might be a beader, if...you have four cabinets full of seed beads, but you don't have just the right color for your current beading project. This happens to me all the time. Yes, I really have four cabinets, each with seven drawers, that are full of seed beads in pretty much every size, shape, and color you could imagine. So why is it that I can never find just the right color for my latest beaded jewelry design idea? I have no idea, but when this happens, it's really hard not to break that resolution not to buy any more beads and use more of what's in my stash.

You might be a beader, if...you'll spend $300 on seed beads, but you buy all of your clothes at the local thrift shop. Not that shopping at the local thrift shop is a bad thing. I mean, my local thrift shop is where I found my favorite cheetah-print cashmere sweater for a mere $2! Saving money on clothes means more money for beads, right? (At least, that's what I keep telling myself.)

If you or anyone you love displays any of these behaviors, chances are, they are a beader. Thankfully, there's no cure for being a beader, except to get out your beads and your favorite seed bead patterns and make something beautiful!

Now, don't worry if you made that resolution to buy less beads this year, because as everyone knows, the Tucson Gem & Mineral Shows at the beginning of February is the place to be for any serious beader! If you're heading to Tucson, Arizona this year to bask in everything beady, you'll definitely want to make sure that you have a copy of the Tucson Show Guide 2013 handy to find out where your favorite bead pushers, er, vendors will be with the latest and greatest in beads, jewelry-making supplies, and beading tools.

Even if you're not going to the Tucson shows this year, having a copy of the Tucson Show Guide 2013 is a great way to have a comprehensive listing of bead and beading supply companies at your fingertips. Use it all year long to stay in contact with your favorite beading supply companies. Or, if you just can't wait to get a peek at what's happening in Tucson this year, the Tucson Show Guide 2013 is also available as an instant download!

So, what do you think? Did I miss anything? Are YOU a beader?

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Top Beading Teachers Share Their Favorite Beading Tools!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

When I take a beading class, I pay attention to more than just the technique that the teacher is showing me. I always sneak a look to see what kinds of beading tools that teacher has. Because, after all, if you want to bead like a pro, there's more to learn than just a beading technique!

I asked five top beading teachers what their essential beading tools were. Of course, chocolate made the top of the list, but check out what else these great beading teachers (and a couple of Beadwork magazine Designers of the Year!) had to say about their favorite beading tools.

		Jill Wiseman: My essential beading tool is my Bead On It Board, because I love the surface, the round and padded edges, and the round shape because there are no corners on which I can catch my beading thread!

		Cynthia Newcomer Daniel: I always keep several different sizes of darning needles on hand when I'm beading. I use them to pick out knots, to nudge beads apart when I need to get my needle into a tight spot, and to herd beads that are trying to escape back into their nice little piles on my bead mat. (I'm a little picky about that!)

		Sylvie Landsdowne: My favorite bead scoop is a "crumb catcher" that I begged the waiter at the Chop House in Milwaukee for about 8 years ago. He was cleaning up the table with it and I said, "What is that? I want it!" He thought I was nuts, but with a little lash fluttering and southern girl thank you's I walked away with it. And you don't even want to know how many kitchen utensils are in my glass beadmaking studio!

		Stephanie Dixon: There are two products that I absolutely can NOT live without and they are both made by Xuron. 1. 9200 -Model 9200 Tapered Head Micro-Shear® Flush Cutter 2. Kevlar Scissors (product 9180 -High Durability Scissor) - Cuts Fireline like no other product I know. I love the way both of these tools fit in my hand and they really do cut amazing well.

		Nancy Cain: My macaroni needle puller. My pattern tester and friend Sharon Rawson designed them and I give them as little goodie bag gifts to students. Another one of my super favorite beading tools is my Tulip fine point awl. You can break 15^o seed beads from inside the bead and not risk cutting the thread. I really can't pick just one beading tool!


	*Three Graces Collar by Jill Wiseman, 2013 Designer of the Year.*

What else can you learn from some of today's top beading teachers? How about new beading techniques and great beaded jewelry designs using your favorite bead-weaving stitches? Check out the great new Designers of the Year in Beadwork magazine! For 2013, each issue will have amazing new beaded jewelry designs from Jill Wiseman, Smadar Grossman, Maggie Meister, and Sabine Lippert! Make sure you subscribe to Beadwork magazine so you don't miss out on a single beading project!

What's your favorite essential beading tool? Where did you first see it used or learn about it? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and tell us about the one beading tool that you just can't live without!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

3 Easy Ideas for Mixed Media and Bead Embroidery

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

If you're looking to branch out into mixed media jewelry in 2013, bead embroidery is one of the easiest ways to get there! Because bead embroidery is such a versatile and fluid beading technique, it's perfect for anyone who wants to experiment with some new mixed media jewelry-making techniques.

The best part of using mixed media jewelry-making supplies with your bead embroidery is that anything goes. Make a trip to your local art supply store, fabric store, or your favorite thrift shop and see what kinds of great craft supplies they have. (My favorite find from my local thrift shop was a big bag of unfinished wood spools for making beaded beads!)

Here are three easy ways to start mixing mixed media with bead embroidery:

		Use some ribbon for the strap of a bead embroidered pendant. For me, designing the neck strap of a bead embroidered pendant can be the hardest part of the process. It might seem like an easy way out, but adding a beautiful hand-dyed silk or velvet ribbon to your bead embroidered pendant can turn your finished piece into a work of mixed media jewelry. Finish the ends of the ribbon using metal ribbon crimps, cones and eye pins, or just tie the ribbon in a bow at the back of your neck.

		Try a new fabric for your bead embroidery foundation. At last summer's Bead Fest Philadelphia, I bought two pieces of Tilapia leather for my bead embroidery. I used the first piece to create a cuff bracelet using a fabulous, crusty raku cabochon from MAKUstudio and accented it with some glass spike beads surrounded with peyote stitch. If you decide to experiment with the funky look of fish leather, make sure to have some glover's needles on hand. The fish leather is just as tough as regular cowhide leather, and regular beading needles will break if they are forced through the leather. Glover's needles are shorter and thicker than regular beading needles, but will still pass through size 15^o seed beads easily.

		Paint your bead embroidery medium before you stitch. I think the last thing that I painted that was any good was a still-life of some roses and baby's breath in a glass vase back when I was in third grade, circa 1982. But when Nicole Campanella, the creator of Nicole's Beadbacking, told me that you can paint on her bead embroidery medium before stitching it, I was totally inspired in a brand-new way! I even got my five-year-old son into painting a few pieces of Nicole's Beadbacking with me for future bead embroidery projects! You can lay down a coat of gesso before you start painting your Nicole's Beadbacking, but I just used a set of inexpensive acrylic paints and a soft paintbrush to mix some colors. We'll see how this piece shapes up in the next few weeks!

When it comes to mixing things up with mixed media jewelry-making, the sky is the limit. You're only limited by your imagination, so have fun!

If you're looking to add new mixed media jewelry-making skills to your repertoire, you won't want to miss Handcrafted Jewelry 2012. With dozens of ideas for using found objects, ribbon, and upcycled materials like t-shirts in your jewelry-making projects, you're sure to find something new to inspire you. Get your copy of Handcrafted Jewelry 2012 and find out how you can look at your craft supplies in a whole new way this year! (And even better - you can download your copy instantly and save $5 through January 6, 2013 at midnight CST!)

Have you ever thought of your bead embroidery projects as mixed media jewelry? Do you include found objects in your bead embroidery? What kind of new jewelry-making techniques do you want to learn in 2013? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and let's talk about what we want to accomplish in 2013!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Free Beaded Bead Project by Carol Huber Cypher

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

My first attempts at beaded beads weren't exactly pretty. I took some beautifully finished wood beads and proceeded to cover them with some of the ugliest peyote stitch I had ever done! But after making a few of those monstrosities, I started to think about making beaded beads there used fabric or fibers for stuffing to retain their shape. (I really felt awful about covering up those beautiful wood beads with their nice, glossy finish.)


	Peyote stitch beaded pillow beads by Carol Huber Cypher

Of course, the first beaded bead project I tried was this one by Carol Huber Cypher, one of my bead-weaving gurus. Carol uses easy shaped peyote stitch to create beaded beads that only need a tiny bit of felt stuffing for support. If you haven't tried making geometric or shaped beadwork yet, whipping up a few of these is a great way to learn how to do shaped beadwork.

Play with the colors to make each one unique, or fill them with your favorite scented herbs. You can also add a dab of your favorite essential oil to the felt before stitching up your beaded beads. Have fun!

Materials:

5 g each size 11^o seed beads in 2 colors (A and B)
FireLine 10 lb. beading thread
Felt stuffing

Tools

Size 10 or 12 beading needle
Scissors or thread cutter

Triangles:

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Round 1: Use 3' of thread to string 3A and tie them into a circle. Pass through the first bead again.

Round 2: String 2A and pass through the next A of the previous round. Repeat around for a total of 6A. Step up by passing through the first A added in this round (Fig. 1).

Round 3: String 2A and pass through the second A in the pair from the previous round. String 1B and pass through the next A from the previous round. Repeat around for a total of 9 beads (Fig. 2). Step up by passing through the first A added in this round.

Notice that we are peyote-stitching in the round, always increasing (adding 2A) between the increases (2A) and adding one more B to each side of the developing triangle.

Round 4: Work peyote stitch placing a B before and after each B and 2A between the 2A of the previous round, to add a total of 12 beads (Fig. 3). Step up by passing through the first A added in this round.

Rounds 5 - 12: Continue working circular peyote stitch, increasing B as necessary between the A "spokes". Exit from the second A of the final round.

Round 13: Work one side of the triangle using B. When you reach the corner, pass through the 2A of the previous round without adding beads (Fig. 4). Repeat around so your triangle has rounded corners. After placing the last B, pass through only the first A of the pair. Don't trim the thread. Set aside. Repeat rounds 1 - 13 to make a second triangle.

Finishing:

Stack the triangles, offsetting the points so a point of the top triangle rests on the mid-point of the edge of the opposite triangle. The 2A of a point should straddle the sixth bead of an edge. Place a small wad of felt between the triangles.

Use the working thread of one of the triangles to pass through the sixth (center) bead on the edge of the opposite triangle. Zip the edges closed slowly and carefully around the entire edge, matching the point to the mid-edge each time. Pull tight. Secure the thread and trim.

More Beading Projects in the Beading Daily Shop

Want more great beaded bead projects like this one? Check out all the great new beading projects available in the Beading Daily Shop! You'll find beading projects from your favorite artists like Cynthia Rutledge, Carol Wilcox Wells, Kelly Wiese, and Sherry Serafini. And because the eProjects are available as instant downloads, you can be reading and beading on your favorite laptop or desktop computer in just minutes!

From all of us here at Beading Daily, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Peyote Stitch and Spike Beads: Made For Each Other

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

I've really been getting into beading with my glass spike beads from York Beads lately. Now that they come in three sizes, there's a whole new range of options out there for anyone who wants to make their bead-weaving a little more fierce!

A few months ago, Melinda Barta posted this great tutorial on how to make a simple peyote stitch bezel around a 7mm x 17mm spike bead. After stitching up a whole bunch of spike beads like this, I got my hands on some of the new, larger 12mm x 18mm spikes. I wondered what would happen if I started stitching a peyote stitch bezel around one of those whoppers and then just kept on going, forming a hollow tube. Then, I could write something inspirational on a slip of paper, roll it up, and seal it inside.

These little peyote stitch prayer vessels work up fast and make great gifts. If you need a quick and inspirational holiday gift for a friend, stitch up one of these and hang it from a piece of leather or a beautiful chain.

Materials (For Pendant Only)

(2) 12mm x 18mm Czech glass spike beads (York Beads or Bead Stalkers)
5 grams size 11^o seed beads to match or contrast with spike beads (A)
5 grams size 15^o seed beads to match or contrast with spike beads (B)
4 grams Magatama beads to match or contrast with B (C)
Fireline 6 lb. beading thread in color to match beads
Archival quality paper

Tools

Size 12 beading needle
Scissors or thread cutter
Chain nose or flat nose pliers (optional, but helpful for maneuvering beading needle through a tight spot)

Step-by-step Instructions:

		String on a stop bead. Then add a spike bead and 12 A. Pass through the spike bead again so that the seed beads wrap around the outside of the spike.

		Pick up 12 B and pass through the spike bead so that the seed beads wrap around the other side of the spike. Pass through all the seed beads again, pulling snugly.

		Work in tubular peyote stitch for a total of 20 rounds. Go back and use the tail to add a row of B around the edge of the spike bead. Weave the tail in, knot, and trim close to the beadwork.

		After you've finished both halves of the prayer vessel, take a small strip of archival quality paper and write an inspirational quote or a short prayer on it. Roll it up tightly, and insert it into each half of your vessel.

		Zip up the two halves of the peyote stitch prayer vessel by stitching through each alternate "up" bead. Reinforce the thread path once or twice, then tie a couple of half hitch knots, weave your thread in, and trim close to the beadwork.

		Start a new thread in your third round of peyote stitch. Pick up 3 B, 1 C, 3 B. Skip the next bead in the round, and pass through the next bead.

		Repeat all around so that you have a total of 6 netted "petals" surrounding one end of the peyote stitch tube. Pass through the first 4 beads added. Continue working in horizontal netting, adding 3 B, 1 C, 3 B for each unit. Work until you have a total of 6 rounds of netting, including the first round added in this step.

		To add the last round of netting, pick up 3 B and stitch through one of the beads in the third round of peyote stitch on the opposite end of the peyote stitch tube. Pull snugly so that the netting stretches down over the entire tube. Pick up 3 B and stitch through the next C of the previous round of netting. Repeat around. Tie a couple of half hitch knots, and weave your thread into the netting. Trim close to the beadwork.

		To finish the peyote stitch prayer vessel, I made two straps of St. Petersburg Chain using 3.4mm drop beads and attached it to the netting using two 8mm jump rings.

If you're really inspired by this peyote stitch prayer vessel project, why not stitch up a whole set of them to hang as pendants from a collar or necklace? You can fill each one with an inspirational quote or a prayer or words that are special to you or the recipient.

I love how well peyote stitch works so well with these funky glass spike beads! It never fails to amaze me what can be done with peyote stitch, whether it's sculptural bead-weaving or flat, geometric beadwork. And if you want to start exploring different geometric forms using peyote stitch, you need to check out Bead Stitching Triangles with Jean Power. With just a couple of easy variations, you can start creating both flat and three-dimensional triangles with peyote stitch.

Get your copy of Bead Stitching Triangles with Jean Power on DVD and unlock the potential of this popular beading stitch! Or, if you just can't wait to get started, download the video instantly onto your favorite laptop or desktop computer and get busy beading!

Have you tried designing beadwork with spike beads yet? What beading stitches have you used with them? Leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and share your ideas with us. Or, better yet, take a picture of your spike bead project and post it in the Reader Photo Gallery!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

The Top 12 Beading Daily Blogs of 2012 - And a Giveaway!

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Today is 12.12.12! We're almost halfway through December, and there are less than three weeks left in 2012. I always get a little nostalgic in December, and I usually take some time to meditate and reflect on all the wonderful things that have happened during the year.

This year is no different, but it's a little more special because of that date -- 12.12.12. So, to celebrate, I've put together the Top 12 Beading Daily blogs from 2012! Read on to see if any of your favorite blogs made it into the list:

		January: Find Your Steampunk Style with Jean Campbell Steampunk always seemed so intimidating to me, but this post from Jean Campbell took all the mystery out of making amazing, easy steampunk jewelry.

		February: Your First Seed Bead Stash Stocking your stash of seed beads can be a huge task if you're just getting started with bead-weaving! Here are some great tips for starting your seed bead stash.

		March: Readers Share a Bounty of Brick Stitch Projects I love brick stitch -- it will always be special to me, as it was the first beading stitch I ever taught myself. I asked for our readers to submit their best brick stitch projects, and the resulting eye candy is just amazing!

		April: Start With...A Simple Strip of Peyote Stitch Ever feel stuck in your beading? You can create some really spectacular beaded jewelry just by whipping up a simple strip of peyote stitch!

		May: Readers Share Beautiful Bead Embroidery Once again, I asked, and our readers delivered. This time, they shared some truly breathtaking bead embroidery pieces with us. Enjoy the beautiful beading!

		June: 5 Common Jewelry Findings That You Can Make Yourself Save time and money when you learn how easy it is to make these five common jewelry findings with your basic wire wrapping skills!

		July: Why Necklace Length Matters Understanding the different lengths of necklaces is important to be able to match them with your favorite necklines.

		August: Use Wire to Bezel a Cabochon This isn't so much a "how-to" blog as a "how-NOT-to-do" blog. Read about my adventures using Viking knit to make a bezel for one of my favorite gemstone cabochons!

		September: Getting Started With Flat Peyote Stitch Peyote stitch was one of the last bead-weaving stitches that I taught myself. However, had I known some of these tips or had some of these tools, it probably would have been a lot easier!

		October: Meet a Chain Maille Genius At Bead Fest Philadelphia in August, I met a lampwork glass artist who takes the ancient art and craft of chain maille to a whole new level! Read about her and see some of her absolutely marvelous creations.

		November: Four Beading How-Tos You Need to Know You might be surprised at some of these four beading how-tos that every beader needs to know!

		December: Make This Free Embossed Leather Earring Project December isn't even half over yet, but so far, this free embossed leather earring project is our most popular December blog!

Did any of your favorites appear in this list? If not, now's your chance to nominate them, and win a little something, too! Simply leave a comment on this blog before midnight, CST on December 16, 2012 with your favorite Beading Daily blog from 2012. You don't have to choose from just this list, either -- take a look through all the blogs that were written by our friends over at Inside Beadwork Magazine and Inside Jewelry Stringing Magazine, as well as the blogs we posted in Beading Instructions and Beading Supplies We Love, too. You can post a link in your comment so everyone else can see it, too!

On Monday, December 17, 2012, check your email, because we'll notify three winners: two lucky people will win a five-pack of assorted back issues of both Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines. One lucky winner will get to choose a prize from four of our favorite digital beading products! (Please note: we can only ship magazines to U.S. addresses only due to customs regulations.)

One lucky winner will get to choose one prize from the following great digital beading products:

You can also find links to all twelve of our Top 12 Blogs of 2012 on Pinterest for your pinning pleasure!

Good luck, and Happy Holidays from all of us at Beading Daily!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Free Embossed Leather Earring Project

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 08:00:00 GMT

I need another beading tool like I need a hole in the head, right? But a couple of weeks ago, I caved in and bought one of the new Big Kick machines from Vintaj, with the idea that I would make some lovely embossed brass pieces for earring making projects. Little did I know that playing with this machine would not just inspire me to create new and beautiful beaded earrings, it would push me a little further into the realm of mixed media jewelry!

I've always been a little intimidated by the idea of making jewelry with metals. Sure, I can cut and fuse glass and make lampwork glass beads on a torch. But those don't involve cutting or stamping or doing anything with metal. Well, even my five-year-old got into the fun, "helping" me crank the brass blanks through the machine and finishing them with the reliefing block and some colored inks.

When I found out that I could run thick leather through the Vintaj Big Kick, too, it gave me a whole new set of ideas for earring making projects! If you have a Vintaj Big Kick (or know someone who does), try this fun and easy earring making project using your favorite leather scraps and embossing folders.

Materials:

Leather scraps, approximately 1/2" thick (enough to make 2 leather coins, each 1 1/4")
Nicole's Beadbacking or other bead embroidery medium
Ultrasuede
2 grams size 8^o seed beads in color to match or contrast with your leather coins
1 gram size 11^o seed beads in color to match or contrast with your leather coins
5 grams Czech farfalle beads
6 lb. braided beading thread (Fireline recommended)
1 pair ear wires
E6000 adhesive

Tools:

Vintaj Big Kick machine and embossing folder
Scissors for cutting leather
Thread cutter
Size 12 beading needle
Flat nose or chain nose pliers
Sharpie markers (optional, for adding color to leather coins, if desired)

Step-by-step instructions:

		Cut two 1 1/4" circles from your leather scraps. Place them inside your embossing folder and run them through the Big Kick machine. If desired, you can add some color to the recessed parts of the embossed leather coin using fine-tipped permanent markers.

		Apply a small amount of E6000 to the back of each coin and adhere it to a small piece of Nicole's Beadbacking or your choice of bead embroidery medium.

		Using the size 8^o seed beads, work one row of beaded backstitch around the leather coin. Run your thread through the beads several times to cinch up the backstitch. As the beads tighten around the leather coin, you'll notice them form a slight cup around the leather coin to help hold it in place.

		Trim the bead embroidery medium close to the beads and glue the piece to a small scrap of Ultrasuede. Trim the Ultrasuede, leaving about a 1/8" edge around the piece.

		Using a 5' piece of beading thread, edge the piece using brick stitch and the size 11^o seed beads. After you've connected the first and last seed bead of the brick stitch edging, pick up 5 farfalle beads. Skip two seed beads in the edging, and pass down through the next seed bead. Pull snugly so that the farfalle beads "lock" together.

		Come up through the next seed bead in the edging. Pick up 5 farfalle beads, skip two beads in the edging, and pass down through the next seed bead. Repeat until you have three beads left in the edging left. (You may have only 2 or 4 beads left, depending on how many beads you used to edge your earring. As long as you have at least 2 unembellished seed beads, you're good to add the hanging loop for the ear wire!)

		Pick up 1 farfalle bead and 8 size 11^o seed beads. Pass back through the farfalle bead and into the neighboring seed bead in the brick stitch edging. Repeat the thread path once or twice to reinforce the hanging loop.

		Using the flat nose or chain nose pliers, attach the ear wires. These are big, bold earrings!

Something else I discovered about running leather through my Big Kick machine: it will also beautifully emboss my scraps of Ultrasuede! What a great idea for making the back of your bead embroidery pieces just as interesting as the front, right?

If you love using seed beads to create earrings (or other kinds of beaded jewelry), you'll want to check out the Beadwork Presents 10 Seed Bead Patterns eBook. Filled with ten great seed bead projects taken straight from the pages of Beadwork magazine, designed by your favorite bead artists. And right now, as part of the 12 Days of Deals in the Beading Daily Shop, you can take 50% off this great eBook of beading projects. Best of all, it's an instant download, so you can be reading and beading in just minutes!

Download your copy of Beadwork Presents 10 Seed Bead Patterns today and find even more great earring making projects using your favorite beads.

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

My Favorite Entries in the Beadwork Magazine 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT

I was expecting to see great things in the Beadwork magazine 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead contest, but, wow, the creativity of the entries really blew me away! I've always been fascinated with beaded beads, and I was really eager to see how folks would put together their beaded bead jewelry using these designs from some of my favorite bead artists.

I really wish that I could have done a feature on every single entry, but that would have made for one long blog post. Instead, I picked my three favorites to share with you. Enjoy!

Abundance by Mary Yaeger


Abundance by Mary Yaeger

Reminding me of everything for which beads make me thankful was Mary Yaeger's beautiful necklace, Abundance. The beaded beads in her horn-of-plenty focal piece blend in so well, you have to look twice to see what they are! Mary's sculptural bead-weaving techniques were positively flawless in this beaded bead necklace, and the color palette was exquisite.

Mary created this piece to reflect the abundance of creativity and enthusiasm of the Beadwork community. She created the beautiful leaves in her beaded bead cornucopia using matte hex-cut seed beads in two sizes. Assembling this intricate beaded bead necklace was also made easier by her use of a cloth-covered styrofoam mannequin that she rescued before it found its way into a dumpster!

You can read more about Mary Yaeger's beadwork on her blog, animary.

Nine Pickles by Tanya Goodwin


	Nine Pickles byy Tanya Goodwin

The colors in Tanya Goodwin's beaded bead necklace, Nine Pickles, are what caught my eye. Assembled with handmade lampwork glass beads by Donna Millard, the color palette Tanya chose is both subtle and elegant. This is a beaded necklace with versatility -- I think it would look just as good with jeans and a t-shirt as it would at a special occasion or for date night.

Tanya designed and named this piece with some help from her five-year-old daughter. Together, they decided to use the five beaded beads to re-create our solar system, including the red spot on Jupiter and the Earth's north pole. The sun on the toggle clasp pulls it all together beautifully.

You can read more about Tanya and her work on her blog, A Work In Progress.

Beads Make Me Happy by Katie Dean


Beads Make Me Happy by Katie Dean

Beads are supposed to make us smile, right? And that's why I loved Katie Dean's beaded bead necklace, Beads Make Me Happy. There were so many things about this necklace that made me smile: the bright colors, the asymmetrical design, the beaded strawberry and peppermint candy beads, and of course, the pendant.

Katie started working on the beaded beads as a little creative break from creating her own beading projects, which include beaded bead patterns, and she decided that she wanted her finished beaded bead necklace to reflect her personality. That fun pendant? She created that when she realized that after ten years of struggling with a serious chronic illness, it was her beads that gave her a form of therapy and helped her find peace after her diagnosis.

You can find out more about Katie, her beadwork, and her inspirations on her website, Bead Flowers.

What's In Store for Beadwork Magazine in 2013?

If you loved the 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest, you'll want to make sure you subscribe to Beadwork magazine in 2013. You'll get more innovative beading projects from the Designers of the Year, but also fascinating bead artist profiles, the latest news and reviews of beads, tools, and beading books, and helpful instructions for basic beading techniques that you can use to create amazing beaded jewelry.

Subscribe to Beadwork magazine today, and see why I think it's the best beading magazine around!

Did you check out all the amazing entries in the Beadwork magazine 15th Anniversary Beaded Bead Contest? You can still check out the gallery of entries here on Beading Daily. And make sure you get the February/March issue of Beadwork magazine to see the winners of the contest!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Bead-weaving Stitches in Action: Choosing the Right Stitch For Your Beading Project

Jennifer VanBenschoten — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Looking at a few of my favorite bead-weaving stitches, the first thing that I notice is that the beads are lined up in pretty much the same way: rows stacked on top of each other, nice and neat, with a few variations in the alignment of the seed beads themselves.

Four of my favorite bead-weaving stitches: peyote stitch, brick stitch, herringbone stitch, and square stitch.

But taking a closer look reveals that not all bead-weaving stitches are created equally. Each one has its own unique set of qualities based on the thread path that make it suited for certain jewelry-making tasks. If you're someone who loves to design your own beading projects, take a good look at the thread paths of these four popular bead-weaving stitches and see how they compare.

		Peyote Stitch. Peyote stitch is by far one of the most popular bead-weaving stitches of all time. The thread path of flat peyote stitch makes flexible when you bend it in pretty much any direction. Working in tubular peyote stitch makes it a little stiffer, so that your peyote stitch ropes can support heavy pendants or work well as stand-alone beaded jewelry projects.

		Brick Stitch. Brick stitch has a unique thread path among bead-weaving stitches. Beads in brick stitch are actually stitched together by their connecting threads in a manner similar to African Helix. (Which is probably the one bead-weaving stitch I have yet to master!) The alignment of seed beads in brick stitch look nearly identical to the alignment of seed beads in peyote stitch, but with one crucial difference: flat brick stitch can be bent relatively easily from side to side, but because of the nature of the thread path, it is extremely difficult to bend a piece of flat brick stitch from top to bottom.

		Herringbone Stitch. Much like brick stitch, the thread path of herringbone stitch runs from side to side, making it easy to bend a piece of flat herringbone stitch from side to side. And again, just like brick stitch, it's difficult to bend a piece of flat herringbone stitch from top to bottom. Tubular herringbone stitch, however, has a wonderful, supple, and sturdy feel to it, making it suitable for beaded ropes where you want to hang a heavy pendant. The multiple passes of thread through each bead also create a sturdier structure.

		Square Stitch. For those who like the look of loomed bead-weaving but don't want to weave in lots of threads or want to make tiny components for earrings and bracelets, square stitch is a great choice. Flat square stitch is quite flexible when you bend it from side to side, and can even be bent from top to bottom. But, beware: for those who don't like a lot of thread showing in their bead-weaving, bending a piece of flat square stitch will expose even more of the threads that hold the beads together. (Using a colored thread like Nymo or the colored Fireline from Sparkle Spot Bead Shop can help disguise those threads.)

I didn't talk about my right-angle weave, my other favorite bead-weaving stitch, because the thread path of right-angle weave is unlike anything else I can think of in the world of beading stitches. Because of that unique roundabout thread path, right-angle weave can be stitched and sewn together just like regular fabric. Like square stitch, there can sometimes be quite a bit of thread showing in between the stitches of right-angle weave, so using a beading thread in a color to match your seed beads is important.

Are you ready to explore more of what your favorite bead-weaving stitches can do? Do you need to complete your collection of Beadwork magazines from 2011? Check out the 2011 Beadwork Magazine CD Collection. You'll get all six issues of Beadwork magazine from 2011 in one, searchable CD. It's the same great content from the print magazine, but made digital for viewing on your favorite desktop or laptop computer. You'll get all of the very popular Designer of the Year projects, plus all the great product reviews, tips, and techniques from the professionals you trust at Beadwork magazine.

Or, if you're the type that can't wait to start beading, the 2011 Beadwork Magazine CD Collection is available as an instant download. Either way, get your 2011 Beadwork Magazine Collection and have fun testing the limits of your favorite bead-weaving stitches.

What's been your favorite bead-weaving stitch discovery? Have you found a new and innovative way to use one of our favorite bead-weaving stitches? Leave a comment and share your discoveries here on the Beading Daily blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennier