I found this lovely pattern that I want to put together for Mother’s Day. I’ve bought all the beads I need, and now I’m scratching my head. I’m new at this beading thing. I just completed my first project, which was a flat peyote stitch 3 inch wide bracelet made with Delicas. It took me a couple of weeks. So there’s no disputing I’ve got the talent and patience to do this next project for my mom.
However, the pattern for the rounds starts in the middle of the round. How do you string rounds when they start in the middle like that? I thought for a while of beginning the round from the outside, and just filling in the pattern as needed (hard to visualize, I know) but that didn’t work out because I left too much string and it got too loose. So now I’m thinking that I have to tie off each round individually, and link them together later. I don’t want to do that either, because it seems like a lot of tying and would probably make the necklace fragile.
So what do you think? Is there another way of doing this? Or should I buy mom a gift certificate to Amazon as mentioned in another thread?
Looking at the pattern, it seems that making the individual motifs separately and then joining them together is exactly what was done. What you could do for added strength is run a thread through the edge beads all around (I don’t know if this is making sense, but you’d use two threads and reinforce the top and bottom outer edges by basically doubling the thread throughout - with Nymo and regular seed beads, you should be able to fit more than one thread through.)
Thank you LifeOnWry, I was afraid of that. So now I have another question. I usually use surgeon’s knots to tie things, but from what I’ve read on the internet I’m supposed to anchor the thread by running it through some beads and then doubling back. How do you usually finish off your loose threads?
I’m a double-back-er. The only good way I’ve found to tie knots is to use the kind of knots you’d use on pearls - you know the kind I mean? You use an awl to pull the knot in very tightly against the bead. Any other kind of knot I try usually ends up too loose.
This is how I was taught to knot everything. It ain’t easy, but with practice you get better. There are also knotting tools you can buy if you do projects that require a lot of them.
How pretty! I must say you have a lot more patience than I do (and surely better eyesight as well ;), all those tiny beads!). I mostly make bracelet watches. Those take all of an hour or so!
Man-o-man, don’t you love Delicas? SOOOO many pretty colors, and they’re unbelievably uniform and smooth.
Sadly, I suffer from lack of patience and bad eyesight, too. I really enjoy bead weaving with larger scale beads, though. I did a nice woven faux pearl choker a few years ago.
Bead weaving! I’d love to hear about it. I was thinking about taking a class on bead weaving, but wasn’t sure what it’s all about. Seems to be a lot of charts! I do a lot of cross stitch, so I’m familiar with that. How exactly do you weave beads? What can you make by doing that?
Thanks for the kudos on my first project I was wondering about the bracelet watches too. I’ve seen these weird free-form tubular peyote watch bands with freshwater pearls thrown in, and I thought they were loverly. I’ve been reading Beadwork magazine. That’s where I’ve been finding some of the best patterns. My friend said something about another beading magazine that I should check into, but I forget which one it is!
Don’t you guys have digital cameras and a photobucket account? I want to see what you have been doing!
“Beadweaving” is probably not the correct term but I use it as a portmanteau word for pretty much anything involving needles and thread and more than one row of beads Peyote stitch, then, counts as beadweaving for me. But…I also do occasional loom-weaving with beads (VERY simple - get a cheap bead loom at the craft store and read the directions, and experiment with cheap seed beads and dental floss), two-thread stringing (one thread with two needles actually - lots of criss-cross action), and whaddayacallit - that square stitch that’s not peyote. If you can read a counted cross stitch or a crochet pattern, you can do it without lessons, although once you get into tubular shapes, it does help to SEE it done step by step.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but the brcelet watches I’ve made are NOT done with peyote stitch or any other kind of weaving. Basically, it’s three strands of beaded tigertail wire on each side of the watch face. You can buy findings that are made for this, but (geezer mode on) way back when I started, there were no such conveniences and I had to be creative. Which is why I can’t tell you how to do it, because each watch is different!
Could the other magazine you’re thinking of be Bead & Button?
I’ll try to remember to take photos of the couple of watches I made for myself.
I’ve made two- and three-strand watches with beads ranging in size from 4 to 8 mm. I buy findings that are specifically made for that purpose. I use thread rather than wire because wire fatigues and breaks - I bought a watch made with wire and had it break after about 5 wearings, so no wire for me. I took the pieces from that watch and just made another.
This is similar to the kind of stuff I make. I’d also like to start making watches and bracelents using clear elastic thread, but I’ve not gotten there yet.
I was wondering about the bracelet watches too. I’ve seen these weird free-form tubular peyote watch bands with freshwater pearls thrown in, and I thought they were loverly. I’ve been reading Beadwork magazine. That’s where I’ve been finding some of the best patterns. My friend said something about another beading magazine that I should check into, but I forget which one it is!
Peyote stitch, then, counts as beadweaving for me. But…I also do occasional loom-weaving with beads (VERY simple - get a cheap bead loom at the craft store and read the directions, and experiment with cheap seed beads and dental floss), two-thread stringing (one thread with two needles actually - lots of criss-cross action), and whaddayacallit - that square stitch that’s not peyote. If you can read a counted cross stitch or a crochet pattern, you can do it without lessons, although once you get into tubular shapes, it does help to SEE it done step by step.
