The Beading Koma UPDATED

I've seen mention of something called a beading koma recently but I had never seen photos or a clear explanation of how beading komas are used in Japanese bead embroidery until this explanation.   Basically you string beads on your thread, then wind the length around the koma.  This allows you to unroll a section as you couch it down on your design.  Thanks, Margaret!
http://www.sharpneedler.com/2018/07/beading-koma-what-great-tool.html

Regular komas are used in Japanese embroidery to hold and control pairs of gold thread as they are couched. This is what they look like—
https://berlinembroidery.com/product/japanese-koma/

They are used in a pair, one for each of the pair of gold threads that you will be couching.
https://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2012/05/need-another-pair-of-hands.html

You can see a photo of two koma being used in gold embroidery on Mary Corbet's website.
https://www.needlenthread.com/2012/04/goldwork-embroidery-never-ending-but-so-worth-it.html

Obviously a beading koma is not used in quite this way.  It is shaped slightly differently and intended to be used when you have a long line of beads to couch on something.  You can purchase a beading koma from Mary Alice here.  Looks like you need to buy the hair elastic separately and add it to your wooden beading koma.  (UPDATE:  DD says she bought a beading coma from Mary Alice and the elastic band came with it.)  But they are easily available at drug stores and places like Target and Walmart, which enables you to find a fat one in just the color you prefer.
https://bluebonnetstudio.com/wood-products/beading-koma-various-woods

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 13, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.