Created March 2003.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Bead Bugle Updater
http://www.beadbugle.com/
The good news and the bad news: this e-zine comes out weekly! The design is a little on the rough side, but it’s packed full of information and ideas. It’s put out by the Perpetual Bead Show and BeadBabe.com.
Alice Korach, former editor of Bead and Button Magazine provides a regular column that is obviously the work of a talented beader. The Dec. 22nd issue has a snowflake ornament, but unlike others, it’s three dimensional!
Another great feature is Rena Klingenberg’s tips. An ongoing reader submission involves what to do with those orphan beads. The ideas range from kitsch to divine. This is a fun and useful ezine to arrive in your Inbox !
The good news and the bad news: this e-zine comes out weekly! The design is a little on the rough side, but it’s packed full of information and ideas. It’s put out by the Perpetual Bead Show and BeadBabe.com.
Alice Korach, former editor of Bead and Button Magazine provides a regular column that is obviously the work of a talented beader. The Dec. 22nd issue has a snowflake ornament, but unlike others, it’s three dimensional!
Another great feature is Rena Klingenberg’s tips. An ongoing reader submission involves what to do with those orphan beads. The ideas range from kitsch to divine. This is a fun and useful ezine to arrive in your Inbox !
Monday, January 31, 2005
What's the difference?
Know what the difference is between a thread conditioner such as Thread Heaven and beeswax? Think about the difference conditioner or wax would make on your hair! Conditioner applies a charge to the thread to help prevent tangles. Wax, stiffens and helps to keep things in place. Contrary to many bead patterns which indicate that conditioner or wax can be used, they each perform differently, and can affect the outcome of the piece you’re working on.
Some particular pieces like hollow beaded beads need the structure that wax can add. Even thread which is pre-waxed, such as Silamide, can be waxed if you need that stickiness and hold. This same stickiness is also what gums up your needle. Quality of the beeswax can be an issue. If you find it’s crumbly, it’s probably old, or has been frozen.
If something you make is turning out limp, and it shouldn’t be, switch to wax and try again. Of course the same is true of using thread conditioner. You may want to experiment with it in a piece that should have more drape.
Two other “conditioners” I’ve heard of, but not used are soap or Chapstick. I’ve even read of using beeswax based lip balm so that when you moisten the thread tip when you’re threading, you add a minute amount of wax to the end!
Finally, if with either you are getting lots of tangling and knotting, you may be working with a piece of thread that is too long! Alternatively, if your thread is shredding, it could be the fault of your needle.
Some particular pieces like hollow beaded beads need the structure that wax can add. Even thread which is pre-waxed, such as Silamide, can be waxed if you need that stickiness and hold. This same stickiness is also what gums up your needle. Quality of the beeswax can be an issue. If you find it’s crumbly, it’s probably old, or has been frozen.
If something you make is turning out limp, and it shouldn’t be, switch to wax and try again. Of course the same is true of using thread conditioner. You may want to experiment with it in a piece that should have more drape.
Two other “conditioners” I’ve heard of, but not used are soap or Chapstick. I’ve even read of using beeswax based lip balm so that when you moisten the thread tip when you’re threading, you add a minute amount of wax to the end!
Finally, if with either you are getting lots of tangling and knotting, you may be working with a piece of thread that is too long! Alternatively, if your thread is shredding, it could be the fault of your needle.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Beading Bees
Beading Bees, a website I like!
http://homepage3.nifty.com/Hachimitsu8/
This website is by a Japanese beader, and has lots of photos, tutorials and English text! Best of all, if you have some of those Japanese beading books at home, and REALLY need to know what a particular word is, you can find out by going to the section titled “Japanese / English” under the heading Tools and Tips.
Her blog is however written in Japanese, and I haven’t had much success cutting and pasting it into a translator like AltaVista Babel Fish: http://babelfish.altavista.com/. It translates it, but completely loses the sense of it! If anyone reads Japanese, I’m sure it’s an interesting read.
http://homepage3.nifty.com/Hachimitsu8/
This website is by a Japanese beader, and has lots of photos, tutorials and English text! Best of all, if you have some of those Japanese beading books at home, and REALLY need to know what a particular word is, you can find out by going to the section titled “Japanese / English” under the heading Tools and Tips.
Her blog is however written in Japanese, and I haven’t had much success cutting and pasting it into a translator like AltaVista Babel Fish: http://babelfish.altavista.com/. It translates it, but completely loses the sense of it! If anyone reads Japanese, I’m sure it’s an interesting read.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
frothing from it's large hole
Caught in a huge downpour, I'm soaking wet - and at the office. Minor I suppose, drying off doesn't really take any work.
My beadwork is calling me. Unfortunately I'm at the office, and it's at home. It talks to me, calls me, begs me to play with it. I'm sure it would email or phone if I let it! The piece I'm working on now is going in an interesting direction. It's NanC Meinhardt's Super Froth Bracelet. It's the colours that I'm pushing, and the use of a large raku bead with fringe frothing from it's large hole, tassel like.
Another one I'm doing as a cuff, with an actual cuff link for the closure. In steel and silver greys. Looks like woven metal.
A third one exists only in my mind (so far...), lets just say its silver.
My beadwork is calling me. Unfortunately I'm at the office, and it's at home. It talks to me, calls me, begs me to play with it. I'm sure it would email or phone if I let it! The piece I'm working on now is going in an interesting direction. It's NanC Meinhardt's Super Froth Bracelet. It's the colours that I'm pushing, and the use of a large raku bead with fringe frothing from it's large hole, tassel like.
Another one I'm doing as a cuff, with an actual cuff link for the closure. In steel and silver greys. Looks like woven metal.
A third one exists only in my mind (so far...), lets just say its silver.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Curling Thread Cure
Is thread curling while you work giving you problems? Does it curl back and knot itself, leaving you to pick out in frustration? Beeswax and Thread Heaven letting you down? Try conditioning your thread with heat. Yep, time to dig out that curling iron from the 80’s (for some of us, the 70’s) and put it to good use in your beadwork.
Heat up your curling iron, and pull the thread you are going to use through it. It gets out the curls (very useful when you are near the end of a bobbin), and stretches it. It also stretches it right to the ends, and can make for easier threading. You then do NOT need wax or thread heaven, unless the pattern specifically calls for it. For example, some beaded beads use heavily waxed thread to add to the body of the bead.
This tip has proven particularly useful for Nymo, but less so for C-Lon (it tends to get stiff). Silamide, being pre-waxed, leaves a residue, so keep a tissue handy, and wipe down while the iron is still hot.
Heat up your curling iron, and pull the thread you are going to use through it. It gets out the curls (very useful when you are near the end of a bobbin), and stretches it. It also stretches it right to the ends, and can make for easier threading. You then do NOT need wax or thread heaven, unless the pattern specifically calls for it. For example, some beaded beads use heavily waxed thread to add to the body of the bead.
This tip has proven particularly useful for Nymo, but less so for C-Lon (it tends to get stiff). Silamide, being pre-waxed, leaves a residue, so keep a tissue handy, and wipe down while the iron is still hot.
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