The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beading Illustrated

by Georgene Muller Lockwood

Overview

Once an ancient art, now a billion-dollar industry.

Since time immemorial, people have used beads to adorn and beautify themselves and their surroundings. This guide shows readers how to do many of the different kinds of beadwork made all over the world. With step-by-step instructions for each technique, it has both simple and more advanced projects.

• For both novices and veterans, with clear, easy-to-understand instructions
• Hundreds of line drawings and photographs
• Special sections on making your own beads; the intricacies of fasteners and clasps; bead designs; working with wire; threading techniques; and beading on fabric, fibers, and looms

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592572564
Publisher:	Alpha Books
Publication date:	10/05/2004
Series:	Complete Idiot's Guide Series
Edition description:	Illustrate
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	7.96(w) x 9.92(h) x 0.66(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Georgene Lockwood has been writing about crafts for more than 20 years for magazines. An avid beader for ten years, she recently began her own crafts business. Lockwood is the author of the bestselling The Complete Idiot's Guide to Organizing Your Life and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Simple Living.

Table of Contents

Part 1	The Venerable, Adaptable Bead	2
1	Beads, Beads, Everywhere!	4
	Beads Throughout History	5
	Precious and Everyday: What Beads Are Made Of	7
	Shapes of Things to Come: Bead Types and Styles	14
	A Little Math	16
	Where to Find Beads	16
2	Making Your Own Beads	20
	Embellish It!	21
	It's Only a Paper Bead	22
	Beads of Clay	25
	Out of the Woods	28
	Found Beads	28
	Flower Petal Beads	29
	Wired for Beads	29
	Other Beads You Can Make	29
3	It's More Than Beads	32
	What's a Finding?	33
	Thread, Needles, Cord, and Wire	39
	The Beader's Toolbox	40
	Glues and Goos	42
	Organizing and Sorting	42
	The "Nice to Haves"	43
4	Beading With a Plan: Design Basics	44
	Finding the Artist Inside	46
	Where to Get Design Ideas	46
	Shape and Line	47
	Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, Repeating, and Random Design	48
	Common Necklace Lines	49
	Size and Proportion	49
	Weight	50
	Texture	50
	A Word About Color	50
	Classic Styles	51
Part 2	Bead Spaghetti: Stringing and Weaving Techniques	54
5	Threads and More: What You Need to String a Bead	56
	Puttin' It On! Bead Stringing and Weaving Materials	57
	Get It On! Needles for Beading	62
	Smoothing It Over: Thread Conditioners and Waxes	64
6	All Strung Out: The Basics of Bead Stringing	66
	It's All in the Wrist	67
	Never-Ending Sparkle Necklace	72
	To Knot or Not To Knot? Let's Answer That Question!	73
	Bead Clasp Potpourri	74
	Which Stringing Material Is Best?	77
7	Dream Weavin': Off-Loom Bead Weaving	78
	Needles and Threads Revisited	79
	Peyote Stitch: It Can Become Addictive!	80
	What's in Your Net?	86
	Right-Angle Weave	87
	This Stitch Is for Squares!	88
	Bricks and Ladders	89
8	Your Destiny Looms!: Getting Started Beading on a Loom	90
	What Makes a Loom a Loom?	92
	A Weaver's World of Choices	93
	Threads and Needles Revisited (Again)	94
	Setting Up Your Loom	94
	Reading a Pattern	97
9	Becoming a Loom-a-Tic	98
	Now You're Weaving!	99
	More Thread, Please!	101
	A Little Bigger, a Little Smaller	102
	What Do I Do Now?	103
	More for Your Beadin' Cap	104
Part 3	Getting Wired!	106
10	All Wired Up	108
	Why Wire?-Why Not!	109
	Which Wire?	110
	Tools Revisited (This Time for Wire!)	114
	What Else Do I Need?	117
	Coats That Suit	118
11	Connect-a-Bead: Basic Wirework Techniques	120
	Wrap That Loop!	122
	Baubles, Bangles, and Dangles	126
	Earrings on Your Own	129
	Making Important Connections	130
	Keeping It All Together	131
	Memory Not Lost	133
12	In a Beaded Garden	134
	From Peasants to Parlors: How Beaded Flowers Grew	135
	Tools for Twisted Gardens	136
	The Stuff of Flowers	137
	Leaves of Glass	138
	Beading Flowers with the Victorian Method	143
	Some Assembly Required	144
	Bedazzling Arrangements	144
	Practice Makes Posies	145
Part 4	Beads on Fabric and Fiber	146
13	Beads in Stitches	148
	Embellishment Tools and Materials	150
	A Stitch Sample	154
14	Embellishments: Cabochons, Edging, Fringes, and Rosettes	160
	A Thrilling "Cab" Ride	161
	On the Edge!	167
	Fringe Benefits	168
	Life Is Just a Bouquet of... Rosettes	171
15	Beads in Knots	172
	A Little String Goes a Long Way	174
	Knots Are Basic!	176
	Getting Tied Up in Knots	178
	You're Knot Finished Yet!	181
Part 5	Bead Potpourri	182
16	Work Safe, Work Organized	184
	The Eyes Have It	185
	Fight Back Against RSI!	188
	Love Your Lungs	189
	Pets Are People, Too! And Don't Forget the Kids!	189
	The Organized Beader	190
	Have Beads, Will Travel	192
17	The Care and Feeding of Beads	194
	Beware of the Destroyers!	195
	Storing and Caring for Your Beads So They Last	196
	Stone Savvy	197
	Metal-Minded	200
	Beads in Time: Taking Care of Your Finished Beadwork	201
	Beaded Fabrics	201
18	Beads Everywhere: Decorating With Beadwork	204
	Beads Around the House	206
	Beads on the Road: Car Jewelry	210
	Give the Gift of Beads	211
	A Beader's Holiday	212
Part 6	Let's Bead It! Additional Projects for Beginning Beaders	214
19	Stringing Projects	216
	Multi-Strand Bracelet	218
	Simple Loop Earrings	219
	Car Sun-Catcher	220
	Fan Pull	221
20	Bead Weaving Projects	222
	Daisy-Chain Continuous Loop Necklace	224
	Ladder Stitch/Brick Stitch Earrings	225
	Netted Ornament Cover	226
21	Wirework Projects	228
	Chandelier Earrings	230
	Caged Bead	231
	Wire Bookmark	232
	Beaded Snowflake	233
22	Fiber and Fabric Projects	234
	Beaded Pincushion or Sachet	236
	Beaded Barrette	237
	Macrame Hemp and Bead Bracelet	239
	Appendixes
A	Glossary	240
B	Resources	243
C	Some Useful Charts	255
	Index	261