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--------------- Here are some tips gleaned from the chats ... Some of Douglas Designs charts use a lot of beads. The question was asked concerning how you work with beads without spilling them. Virginia Douglas said, "Merely, wrap a piece of scotch tape with the stick side out around your finger or thumb — then dip it in the beads. They stick to the tape and you pick your beads of easily. Make sure to put the tape on the non-stitching hand. This way you can get up to let the dog out, make a sandwich, etc." One time she dropped 6,000 glass beads on deep pile carpet. She swept them up with her Dirt Devil. She thought she would wash them and use them, but they were pulverized into granules. She never did that again! --------------- And this:
--------------- And these tips from Cameo's head: 1. You can use a clear thread (like the kind that looks like fishing line) to sew on your beads so that the floss doesn't dull the bead's shine. 2. Use the same color floss as the bead or as the ground fabric so that the floss is not noticeable. 3. Use a double strand of floss when beading. Come up through the first hole, go through the bead. Go down through the second hole. Come back up through the first hole, divide the floss so that one strand goes around either side of the bead, then down through the second hole. This will help your bead stand up well on a diagonal. So you end up doing two 1/2 crosses on the same bead, same holes. 4. Similarly, go up through hole one, through the bead, down through hole 2. Then come up through hole 3, split the floss around the bead, go down through hole 4. This way you do a full cross, the first part of the stitch through the bead, the 2nd part of the stitch helps it stand up more vertically than in #3 above. 5. And a while back Virginia Douglas gave a tip on what to do if you're beading on perforated paper and the paper rips. She recommended putting a coffee filter on the back of the perforated paper, and stitching through both layers. The filter is light, but strong, and can help you not be frustrated by having to undo your work and start over. --------------- From: Donna Sue Beads can be attached using floss matching the beads or fabric. The owner of my LNS suggested to me that I pull a fabric thread out from the edge of the fabric and use that to attach my beads when they are isolated. The fabric thread matches the fabric and doesn't show through like the floss will. I finally tried it on SB's Wooly Winter. The beads were snow falling with just one bead here and there. It looks great and I didn't have to attach each bead with a separate piece of floss. Try different ways and see what looks best on what you are stitching.
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These tips are from Lil: 1) Wash and block your piece (if you're blocking it yourself before you bead it) The heat and pressure from an iron has been known to crack beads. If you're going to have your piece professionally blocked go ahead and add the beads now.
2) Beads have a definite 'direction' to them, i.e. most are oblong, not round, with the hole going from short side to short side. The major point to consider is how you want the "grain" of the bead to lay. Most people, include myself, will bead a large area or an area with scattered beads, like a dress or field of flowers, so that the long axis of the bead goes in the same direction as the top thread of your stitch. This seems to give the smoothest effect with the beads not standing out quite a much but rather blending in and sparkling in the background. However if you're trying for a specific effect, such as using the beads to outline an area you might consider having the long axis run vertically or horizontally so that a thinner, smooth line is created (it's an effect similar to a thick backstitch.
3) Now on to the technical points.
B) Needle - Forget the special "beading needles". I've found that they are normally too long and too flexible to be useful. A 28 needle will normally go thru the holes in the beads or you can buy a pack of assorted sewing needles. I've usually found that there are 2 or three of the short ones that will go thru a bead hole. Just be careful since these needles will be sharp and not round tipped like most needlework needles. Don't split your background fabric thread.
C) How to attach them - First be sure that you're anchoring thread is FIRMLY attached to the background fabric. Beads can be heavier that you think and if the thread isn't attached well the beads will droop instead of standing up. (here comes the ascii art - have pity on me I'm not an artist). If you want the bead to lie in the same direction as the top of you crosses, like this \, attach it the following way:
Secure the doubled thread well. Line up the bead so that the hole runs from c to b. Bring your thread up at c, thru the hole and back down at b. Now bring the doubled thread up at d, split the two strand so that one goes on each side of the bead and bring it down at a. Secure the thread or go on to the next bead. But don't carry this thread over a long distance or it will loosen up and the beads will get floppy.
To have the beads lie horizontally ( ---- ) do the following:
Lie the bead so that the hole runs from bottom to top. Bring your threads up at c, go thru the hole and come down at b. (Don't worry the next half of the stitch will make it lie the correct way). Now come up at d, again pass your needle from the bottom hole (the one that will lie on the c-d side) and come down at a. Voila! a horizontal bead that won't slip sideways or up and down.
To have the bead lie vertically ( | ) do the following:
Place the bead so that the hole runs from side to side. Come up at c, thru the hole and down at b. Now come up at d, go thru the hole on the b-d side ( the opposite of attaching a horizontal bead) and down at a. There you go, a well secured vertical bead
4) When you're done stitching secure the thread very well or all your beads may loosen up over time.
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And this from DWasnock: If you use a quilter's needle, the needle is small enough to go through petite seed beads!
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From: Karla: Responding to this ......
Karla wrote:
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From: Joan I use an old salt dip to keep beads confined and easy to poke the needle in.
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How Many Beads in those Packets?
I found this information on r.t.c.n. I believe they are referring to Mill Hill Beads, though I'm not positive ...
This information is straight from the Leisure Arts wholesale catalog. Here's what they claim:
seed beads - 500 per package
mini pack seed beads - 100 per color per package
antique seed beads - 250 per package
petite glass beads - 500 per package
frosted glass beads - 500 per package
pebble beads - 36 per package
small bugle beads - 145 per package
medium bugle beads - 75 per package
large bugle beads - 36 per package
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From another AOL stitcher: If you spill beads ...
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From Nancy Kraus For attaching a single bead where there is no other stitching ...
If this a single bead away from everything else, I would definitely use a square or granny knot to secure the ends. Many people have recommended this for a single stitch which is out in the open with nothing else around it. Using a single ply of floss, the know will be small enough that you will never see it.
To which another stitcher added: If you CAN feel the knot from the front, maybe you should check for peas under your mattress before you go to bed.
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This is from an article that Lin Richman Beads are available in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and textures - the possibilities are endless!
Most of us learned to do counted-bead embroidery with a half cross-stitch as follows:
Working from left to right, begin in the lower left corner of the thread intersection, attach a bead and finish the stitch in the upper right corner of this section. At the end of each row, run thread through the entire row from right to left. Proceed to the next row. It is important that all stitches go in the same direction.
Now many of us are finding that by using the half cross-stitch method of attaching beads, the beads have a tendency to turn or move. However, attaching beads with a cross-stitch enables the beads to appear perfectly straight. This method is more time consuming, but the end results are more successful.
Jill Siegler, head designer with Gay Bowles Sales, shares the following tips for working with beads.
There is a new #l0 beading needle with a tapestry point. It has a larger eye for easier threading and the blunt point makes stitching safer and faster. Both petite and seed beads fit over the needle.
To prevent crowding in solid beading use the following guide:
Seed beads (size ll/0) use l4 count fabric or linen with 25 or 28 threads per inch
Petite beads (size l4/0) use 16 to 18 count fabric or linen with 32 or 36 threads per inch
Use matching floss to enhance the bead color, especially on colored backgrounds.
Use crystal beads with a variety of thread colors for shading.
To remove an offending bead, use a nail clipper to break it rather than taking out all of the beads. In doing this, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you WEAR GLASSES to protect your eyes from glass shards.
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Jessica Here is a tip that I find works very well.
Get a very small glass baby food jar and wash well. Put Tack it over and Over (one of Aleene's products) in the center of the jar lid and let dry. Use a separate jar for each color of beads you will be working with. Put the beads in the jar and attach the lid firmly. Turn the jar upside down then right side up. The beads will stick to the Tack in the center of the lid. and the lid doesn't roll around on the table. I keep my beads in the original container and just transfer the ones I'll be using to the jars for what particular project I will be working on. Then when I'm finished, they go back into their containers that they came in. This may help some of you who find the beads hard to keep track of.
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From: Nancy Kraus I use the lid of a plastic container - like a margarine lid and put a piece of masking tape on it and then pour some of the beads onto the tape. The beads stick lightly to the tape and I just stick a needle
through the bead and pull it off. It works for me
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From: Teresa I use an old tin, you know the kind with the hinged lid, and glued a piece of velvet to the bottom...beads don't roll on velvet (felt works too), when I take a break, just close the lid, and put the tin in a safe place.
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From: Quick & Easy Needlecraft's "101 Needlecraft Shortcuts"
To prevent beads or round jewels from rolling away as you work, spread them on a sheet of plastic canvas.
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Teresa's hint:
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Storing Beads
From: Sarra Wright At Wal-Mart I found a Plano box (not sure of the number but the SKU# is 373030) which is in (adjustable) compartments like a floss box but is really deep so the bead packages stand up nicely and all the beads are in there. They fit either in the packages they come in or when I open them for a project I put them into a 2x2" ziploc bag and cut the number part of the Mill Hill package off and slip it in because I hate the way they look like they are going to reopen by themselves.
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From: Tara Dewdney I had an hour to kill in Walmart the other day, so I managed to wonder around the sporting goods section. [snip] They have these wonderfully neat little holder things for *I am assuming* flies. They would be perfect for beads. They are designed by Plano, and even fit into their larger boxes.
They are two sided (like the larger ones described) but are about 3" x 5". With small compartments on one side, and larger ones on the other (great for both beads and baubles).
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Conversion Chart
Just Nan likes using beads by SJ Designs in her charts. They are usually available from Wyndam Needleworks:
But here is a short conversion chart of SJ Beads to Mill Hill:
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From: "kymarlou" I was watching Embroidery Studio on local PBS station. She was doing a needlepoint pin on plastic canvas that involved using beads. She took a self-adhesive address label, stuck her beads on it, then used as needed.
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Beading Books
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Beading Sites
Bead & Button
Fire Mountain
Suzanne Cooper
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Beading Articles
Beads and Needlework: Part 1 by Martha Beth Lewis in Just CrossStitch magazine, December 1999, page 30. Excellent article with tips including:
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