Tips and Tutorials
This page is still in the works, but we will be adding to it regularly, so be sure and check back often. If there are any questions you have about beading in general, or my techniques in particular, please don't hesitate to let me know and I will do whatever I can to help you find the answers you need.
TIP 1. I find using beeswax is a convenient way to help me thread my needle. I generally use a double strand of a very fine beading thread (either size 0 or 00). I cut my thread about 2 yards long and fold it in the middle, then wax the thread thoroughly until the two sides of the strand stick together as one. Snip the ends off so they are even and pinch the very tip of the thread between your thumb and forefinger so the thread just barely shows. Next, bring your needle to the thread, NOT your thread to the needle. Continue to hold your thread tightly and press the eye of the needle into the thread that is "trapped" between your thumb and forefinger. Voila! The thread is in the eye of the needle and it was easy as pie.
TIP 2. Several years ago someone told me using beeswax on the beading thread caused color lined beads to lose their color. I have been beading with beeswax for twenty years and I have never had the problem of it causing the color lined beads to lose their color. If anything, the beeswax helps to protect and seal the color into the beads! What I have noticed, however, is that using larger thread and needles tended to rub against the color lining and make the color rub away. My advice is to use your favorite thread treatment, but shun needles larger than size 12 and gravitate toward beading with a smaller thread, which allows you to reinforce more and doesn't rub the color out of the beads.
TIP 3. I am sure most people have their favorite methods of working the needle and thread through those tight spots. I have broken many a bead and/or needle with the "sticky" syndrome, and I have learned over the years I can use pliers to pull the needle through when my fingers alone can't handle the ticket. The TRICK is, DON'T FORCE IT! No matter what kind of beads you use, the holes are not completely consistent, nor are they shaped perfectly. If I get "stuck", I push the needle back out of the bead and with my pliers, turn the needle just about 1/4 turn and try again. "Gently" is the important advice here. Pull only a little. If the needle still doesn't want to go through, push it back out and repeat the process of turning it 1/4 turn more and trying again. I have found this method works 99% of the time.
Stay tuned for more tips and tutorials to come.
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