Tips for Your First Beading Project
Beading is a great way to show your creativity. And some beading projectscan be very easy to implement. You can easily make your own beaded necklace, bracelet or earrings. Here are several important beading tips for beginner beaders that will help you avoid common mistakes and allow you to enjoy your completed beaded project.
1 Put space between your beads
Majority of beading projects that include small beads especially semi-precious, Swarovski, glass and pearl beads require a spacer between them. There are two ways to do so - make a simple knot between your beads, or insert a decorative spacer. I prefer spacers, because they make the design more interesting. It is best to use silver or gold spacers with expensive beads – they won’t loose the shine as they age.
2 Use a beading board
Before putting your beads on a wire lay the beads you are planning to use out on a jewelry layout board. You can buy these boards in any shop that sells, craft supplies, beads and beading tools. The board lets you see, how your design will work before you connect everything. If you don’t have a board, use a plain light bath towel, so your beads don’t scatter.
3 The simpliest way to prevent your beads from rolling
Even if you use a beading board, it is a good idea to cover the table you work on with a towel. Beads rolling all over the table can drive you crazy, but a towel will prevent it. Also, if you have a cat, cover your work with another towel, if you leave even for a few minutes. My cat can destroy hours of work in less then 30 seconds.
4 Start with a piece of string longer than you need
If you are going to use knots, then cut the string 4 times longer than finished project plus a few extra inches, otherwise 2 times longer. Also you can fold your string twice or even four times, to make it stronger. This is particularly true if you use heavy glass beads and large beads.
5 Do you know that there are colored strings available – don’t use white
Your don’t always have to use white string, buy a string that matches the color of your beads for this project. If you can’t find a string in that particular shade, take a white one and dye it, any permanent marker would do the job.
6 Beads are heavy, so keep in mind that your string might strech
In my first beaded necklaces I always had this problem – you finish a necklace, than after a day of wearing it the string stretches and beads are no longer tight together, looks awful. To avoid this, after all the beads are on, hang your necklace for a day or so, than do the final knotting or attach clasps.
7 Pay attention to small details, like securing the ends of your string
Final knots are important, it is best to use square knots and tighten them firmly. Then apply some jewelers glue to your knots and only after that cut the loose ends
8 Use a good lighting source
Beading for several hours can give you a bad eye strain, especially if you are working with seed beads. Use a strong light source, a desk lamp is best. A tool that can also make your work easy is a magnifying glass. It will also help keep your project neat and saves you time.
Tatiana Turner is a publisher of Beading Patterns.org where you can find beading patterns and everything you need to know about beading
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