Bead Essays

I've been seeing an interesting trend this winter--needlepoint teachers and designers are starting to post little essays online to help folks understand various topics, especially attaching beads to needlepoint canvas.   Adding beads to needlepoint is a more complex subject than you would think since beads come in many sizes and shapes and there are a lot of effects people use (solid beading, scattered beads, couched rows, beads added like tent stitches, etc.).  Alice Hall at BeStitched has started a series of Bead Basics.  Here is her first essay which talks about various types of beads and the supplies you will need to bead.
http://bestitchedneedlepoint.com/beading-lesson-from-alice-hall/

As Alice adds to the series, I'll update this article.  You don't have to wait to see how to attach beads until Alice posts again, however.

Stitchlady got to take a class from Sundance's Cassie Prescott and learned a really neat beading technique.
http://stitchlady.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/arizona-wild-flower/

Joni Stevenson has started her own essay on attaching beads to needlepoint canvas by outlining three ways this can be done that are fairly good at keeping beads steady and then talking about what threads to use for beading.  She also raises an important point--whether to match the thread used to attach beads to the bead or the underlying needlepoint canvas?
http://creative-stitch.blogspot.com/2012/03/beads-on-canvas-part-1.html

Part 2 from Joni talks about types and sizes of beads with a bit of information about needles that are useful in beading.
http://creative-stitch.blogspot.com/2012/03/beads-on-canvas-part-2.html

Again, I'll update this article as Alice and Joni add more information online.  By the way, ANG has added an article from the September 1998 Needlepointers on beads to their Archive.
http://www.needlepoint.org/Archives/StitchingBeadsontoCanvas/index.php


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com