Bead Arts

Welcome to Technique Tuesday!

I will be bringing you tips, techniques, and tutorials each Tuesday on the Bead Art blog. Some of these posts will be what I call “The Basics”, which we will refer back to from time to time in the intermediate and more advanced tutorials. Some of the posts will be techniques that I’ve developed and written myself…my own opinion, in other words!…and others will be links to online tutorials that others have shared.

So today is going to be one of those “my own opinion” posts! Please feel free to leave comments that share your favorite materials and methods for today’s topic.

Peace

I am frequently asked for the specifics of how I make my bead-embroidered pieces. You can see examples of my neckpieces here, and I also posted a picture of the bead-embroidered hat that I just finished yesterday.

I’m totally sold on using Unicorn Buckramfor my beading layer, rather than some of the more expensive products marketed specifically for beading. Unless, of course, I’m actually doing the beading directly on something like the felt hat. Even then I sometimes use buckram or another lighter weight interfacing behind the felt. Buckram is a heavily starched woven cotton interfacing, used in millinery and belts. It’s very thin, but holds its shape well and practically never unravels. It can be painted or dyed and heat-set before beading, which is what I do in some of my work. The piece shown above uses a painted background with some rows of clear beads…it’s hard to see in the scan, but I beaded a bit more loosely than usual so that the color could show through.

Here’s another example, a non-wearable piece, where the painting on the fabric is more obvious.

Each according to their kinds

I buy buckram at Joann’s, in the interfacing section, and is very inexpensive! Once it is thorougly beaded, it becomes softer under the weight of the beads so that it will drape around a neckline, but it still doesn’t tend to lose shape.

Nymo thread is my choice for almost all bead embroidery. Occasionally with very heavy beads, a heavier carpet thread may be called for, but I’ve found Nymo comes in enough sizes to suit my projects. I buy large spools of black and of white Nymo in size 0, which is one of the thinner sizes. I don’t bother with colors…if I want a colored thread, I use a permanent marker and run the white nymo over it. My needles of choice are English beading needles, and I usually buy those packets that have 6 or so needles ranging from #10 through #12 or #13. The number of the needle needs to be smaller than the size of the bead, so #12s are great for beading with 11/0 seed beads. You’ll need finer needles (with higher numbers) to work with smaller beads.

For the backing, I use an ultra-suede type material. I am very fussy about the looks of the entire piece, so the backing is glued lightly to the buckram, and all the raw edges are beaded together to cover them completely.

So, that’s my run-down! What do you like to use the best?

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