Beading Instructions - Basic

Hi, I see Melinda wrote about how most people don't follow the instructions on projects she's spent so much time creating. 

Truthfully, I wish she would take a stitch a month and show it completely.  Most projects assume, "start with a row of xxxxx."  Well, looking at the back of the book with such sketchy illustrations, I can't figure them out. 

I had worked as a secretary in the nursing education department of a local hospital.  The nurse educators would write directions of how to operate some of the equipment.  They used me, someone who was not a nurse, to follow the step-by-step directions they wrote.  If I had to stop during the process because it wasn't clear, they re-wrote the directions. The "floating RN's" really appreciated such clarity.

Take someone who has never done any of the beading stitches and give them directions. Note at which points they get lost then re-write the directions.  Sometimes when someone is so advanced in their craft, they can't think like the beginner. 

Thanks.

PennyM:

Hi, I see Melinda wrote about how most people don't follow the instructions on projects she's spent so much time creating. 

- ? -

This was about the survey of readers of BeadWork

PennyM:

 

Truthfully, I wish she would take a stitch a month and show it completely.  Most projects assume, "start with a row of xxxxx."  Well, looking at the back of the book with such sketchy illustrations, I can't figure them out. 

 

The ones I've seen in the magazines state quantity and color to string at the start, and in what order.

Shifting to  some book, you say the illustrations are '...such sketchy...', you seem to have changed media.  What book?  The illustrations in the back of the magazine are each for one part of the work.

Your lack of clarity confuzes me.

Stan B.

 I agree, Stan, I also went "huh?"  But then, I was a little confused by Melinda's statement that her feelings were hurt when she herself didn't copy instructions bead-for-bead.

 Penny, not knowing your skill level or if you're referring to a specific project, it's rather difficult to sufficiently address your concerns or answer your question.

 Assuming that you're talking about bead weaving (I abhor assuming anything, but...), it might be that you're a beginner trying to work a project that's meant for someone with more experience at the particular type of weave.

 As with anything in life, baby steps, one thing at a time.  IMHO!

 Dawn

SunriseJewelry:

 I agree, Stan, I also went "huh?"  But then, I was a little confused by Melinda's statement that her feelings were hurt when she herself didn't copy instructions bead-for-bead.

 Dawn

Then she went on and admitted that she also did the same thing.  Now I will do the same thing you don't like -- I assume she thus realized that we all, just like her, make changes along the way. 

It seems to me she made a statement of fact, then realized [the error of her way] that she did the same, and dismissed the whole thing.   I think it makes her seem a little more real.

I really had no problem with it.

Stan B.

 Well i understand what she is saying :P Many of the beading mags have beading basics usually at the end of the book. They sometimes include rough sketches for what they are disgussing and the whole section teaches a few basic things like how to form a wrapped loop, how to do a row of a particular stitch, terminology, etc. It's all very basic. I think that a very new beginnier would be lost, but an amature who has done stuff for a little while might get what they are saying. But this is the only set of instructions to teach you the things the mag is talking about. Yes u must go baby steps and have a beginners book to go along with your mag collection :P

BTW i really like what you are saying about how to write instructions and give them to some1 who is 100% clueless to see how well the instructions work :) Yes once u become somewhat of a master in your craft, its hard ot think like a beginner.

I think it depends on the magazine as well.  Beadwork and Bead&Button are geared (in general) toward more intermediate to advanced projects, while Step by Step Beads, Stringing or BeadStyle are geared more toward the beginner.  If I were a complete newbie trying to decipher an advanced project I'd have a tough time also. 

Art Jewelry mag is like that for me.  I can probably only do about 1/4 of the projects in there, but I like to read the advanced articles also because I can still learn things.  Regarding following the directions completely for a design, I only do so if I'm trying to learn a new technique.  Otherwise I do adapt it to suit my own purposes.  However, I  appreciate that they publish the instructions, because even if I don't do the exact project, I always read through it to make sure I understand how it was made.  You never know when someone has figured out a clever way to do something that you haven't thought of.