First off, let me say how pleased I am to be writing to you from the ether again, this time on Beadwork's very own page! Editor Melinda Barta has let me loose as my "Stitch Pro" alter-ego, my column in Beadwork
magazine. It's here that I'll share even more tips and techniques that
will help your needles fly faster and your brain work like greased
lightning.
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What's in store for today? Taming the RAW monster.
I was teaching a class a couple weeks ago that begins with a long
strip of right-angle weave. This task evoked some very creative grumbles
and hisses from my students (right-angle weave isn't everybody's
favorite stitch, believe it or not!). On the upside, it also evoked some
pretty clever techniques for making tight, pretty right-angle weave
fabric:
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- If you are a new right-angle weaver, use single thread for each
row, then tightly re-weave each row after you complete it. This way, if
you make a mistake on the first pass, you can see it and pull it out
easily. If you haven't made a mistake, you can tighten it up and move
on.
-If right-angle weave is old hat for you, definitely use doubled thread and tight tension to keep your beads at right angles.
-Press a beading awl or pencil point through the center of each unit to pop the beads into place.
-Place a needle through the bottom beads of all of the units of a row
so you can see which are all the top beads in a subsequent row.
Do you have other tips for taming right-angle weave that you could
share with your fellow beaders? Do it right here on Beading Daily's
spanking new Inside Beadwork Magazine blog.
Happy beading-
Jean Campbell
Senior editor, Beadwork magazine