#or the bead looms

[fruit-punk-art]

Get Out Of The Garden, 2022

Marina Constantine

Acrylic yarn, vintage sequins, beads, nylon cord and sewing thread

[quitetheketch-moved]

I hate that I just did this but my old post is getting too long and I still need help tbh. I'm completely disabled and dependent on the help of others for survival rn with just one crisis after another its hard to keep my head above water. I'm trying to get my feet under me and earn my own living expenses but getting the materials is a slow expensive so stock is getting added slowly, but -

I've got a shop here for jewelry if anyone wanted to take a look or bookmark the shop for new items if nothing right now catches your eyes. Hopefully I'll be adding some new product by the end of the week, some new earrings and hopefully some rosaries, pride ones and traditional druk beads, if my eye pin order arrives as it should. And of course donations welcome below

Paypal - byronslivingroom@gmail.com Venmo - @ gaystressedandunderdressed CashApp - $QuiteTheKetch

My health has been declining this week and I'm starting to get worried and want to go back to my doctor to make sure i'm not getting worst. My heart palpitations and arrhythmia have been getting worse this week and I'm genuinely concerned about the possibility of a heart attack right now. I might need a meds adjustment or even a specialist visit and I have no idea how much that will cost and i'm frankly scared to find out.

I dont know how jewelry commissions even work and I'm limited on the size of my loom pieces until my big loom comes in but I'd be willing to do some custom work for people as well

[foxlecter]

Had some fun making Kandi and Loom bracelets with a friend :3

[cutiepandaca]

A beaded bracelet I made a few days ago ❤️

[beadifuldreams]

Love is Love. Simple as that.

[maniwakpa]

Did some looming today :)

[ms-newvegas]

Just finished this tonight 🪡 ✨ going to finish it by mounting it on some white/light leather, but I’m not sure about what closure I’ll use

[dreamingsketcher]

I made some patterns for loom beading :) feel free to use :)

[apokrify]

https://depop.com/apokrify

[yetanotherthriftblog]

“Great product,” the focus group said, “but could we make an update suggestion to the name?”

[its-short-for-jackalope]

ahh don't you just love it when you wake up peacefully in your bed, comfy and content, and you stretch out while working through a general plan for the day in your head, pondering which of your many ongoing projects you'll try to put some time into, and then your adhd grabs you by the fucking throat and whispers feverishly into your ear, "we need to learn how to do this other thing that we have no materials for and we need to do it fucking NOW. don't even THINK about that other shit, it's all garbage, THIS is what we have to do or else life is meaningless and we will NEVER. EVER. FEEL. JOY. AGAIN."

[thecrackedbead]

Absolute essentials for seed beading

So you want to work with seed beads, eh?

You may find it overwhelming. Speaking for myself, I find looking for beading supplies as a experience fraught with exquisite, exciting beauty, pain, terror and wonder. If you go to a store, there can be so many options and brands that it is easy to (1) be buried alive for days and end up get nothing at all, (2) sell your first born in exchange for everything that catches your eye or (3) run away screaming. The first, I haven't experienced because the store workers dig me up and kick me out at closing time. The second, I haven't done as I am, alas, childless. I considered trying with one of my brothers, but gave up because at the bead store, I heard another customer being sternly informed that there is no fixed human-money exchange rate. The third, I have done and continue to do but the screaming is now internal as someone filed a noise complain and the I try to keep on the good side of the fuzz.

More seriously, the above is a jest description of what reality is like. It is exhausting and wonderful at the same time. It is too easy to spend too much for that "just one more item" and there are so...

3D peyote stitch done in the round. Made by Irina Artesanias (Store).

...very...

Neo-celtic bead looming done by myself.

...VERY...

First Nation (Canadian aboriginal) bead embroidery amulet by tekanatakon. Instagram.

...many options out there so it can feel like you are being buried under an avalanche when knowing where to start and how to proceed. So, I discussed this a few acquaintances and came to this list as to what you definitely will need for any kind of seed beading:

Absolute Basic Supplies

Seed beads. - (Yes, I am Captain Obvious.) You'll get the most use out of size 10 or 11 as most projects use them. Getting a minimum 3-4 colours to start is a good idea too. As for what brand? Miyuki or Toho, are the best for beginners, with Miyuki being easier to find. Yes, they are expensive but they are also the most even in size. This means it is much easier for one to see if they are doing the right thing and as Red says, "They're very consistently sized so [they don't] pop up, and there is a wide variety of colors. Delicas [a type of Miyuki bead] are amazing. they are the Lego bricks of seed beads. very consistent size, they stack well, they hide thread well." In my case, I have cheap size 10 Czechs for the lower cost but they make the designs I do less consistent and I'm hoping to slowly switch over. As for colors and finish, it's hard to go wrong with black and white and one other colour (maybe your favourite one) and I'd avoid transparent or matt to start. Stick witty opaque. Over all recommendation: Miyuki Size 11 seed beads, their delica brand if you want to splurge. Black, white and your favourite colour.

Thread: Practically everyone who works with seed beads loves Beadalon's Fireline, either 4 or 6 lb. If using transparent or translucent beads, use Crystal Clear; otherwise, use it or Satin Black or Smokey. Those last too can give a cool mosaic effect to your work. If those are not available Wildfire is a good second choice, if a bit wider thread. Toho-G and Miyuki thread also work but keep the work looser (good for fringes though). Plus the thread needs to be stretched and have wax added have more grip for the beads. Overall my recommendation: Fireline 4 lb is a good start.

Needles: Size 12 or 13 are good (albeit pains to thread). Greater can break your beads if forced through. If you really wan brand names, Tulip beads are fantastic but expensive and John James are good. You should note that your needles will break and you will lose tons; so, get a pack of each. (When you do so, make sure you cover them with tape so they don't hurt the garbage guys) Over all: One pack of 12 and 13 needles each.

Thread snips/cutters - I have no particular suggestion of brand so look at online reviews. If you absolutely need to, you can use a sharp pair of scissors, but I strongly recommend against. It can leave the end ragged and makes it hard to thread. The snips are useful if you have done or will do basic sewing repairs like a button. Over all: proper thread snips/cutters

Good light: It's almost impossible to have too much. Bright sunlight is my favourite but this is reliant on season or weather. Over all: Lots and lots of light.

A cleaning method. Dust pan and broom works but take quite a while as the beads are escape artists. A much loved option is to put a panty hose over the head of a vacuum and suck them up. Then you can get your beads from the pantyhose afterwards. Over all: Vacuum the suckers.

A funnel and a bag. Remember how I said beads get everywhere? When there's a large amount of them, getting, them away from everywhere and back to the right somewere is a royal pain in the hind quarters. Put the beads you've recovered in the bag and use it and the funnel to put them back into their proper container (or your massively mixed up bead soup container). You can make a funnel out of paper if you don't want to buy one. Over all: Funnel and bag.

Get more needles than you think you'll need! You will inevitably murder them or they will run and hide.

With this above items, you essentially have whatever you need for most projects. I'll later on bring up the subject of other useful items and bead techniques but I don't want to overwhelm.

Before I leave thank you to Red, Elyse and Jean for your input, and to tekanatakon and Irina Artesanias for allowing me to display your art.

Hopefully, this will help you outrun the avalanche while maintaining the awesome.

[quitetheketch-moved]

Etsy restored my shop!

I'm still looking at alternatives to list on thanks to a mutual who gave me some resources to look into (speaking of go check out @myescapetowonderland their stuff is super cute) and my zodiac bracelets are not up yet due to some issues with my tools but will be up very shortly as soon as I can order a replacement loom.

[lesbiten]

yall wanna see my progress in rainbow looming my entire arm? hold on

[the-fibre-stuff]

Bought some needles and showed Thing One how to use the bead loom I got from a neighbour a couple of years ago. She has been warned not to use a needle threader (and now knows why I never bother with one), given my old stash of seed beads, and is working away. We’ll see what she ends up with.

[maniwakpa]

One of my favorite treasures. A thimble my great grandmother traded for a few buttons in 1930, when she was 11 years old. I used to use it as a little tea cup when I'd pretend to serve tea to the porcelain dolls she kept on shelves. It found its way back to me nearly 20 years after my great grandmother passed. I found it in a box of things I inherited from her daughter, my grandmother, when she passed earlier this year. I don't serve tea to dolls any more, but it has been saving me from many pokes as I explore bead looming. It makes me feel small, in a comforting way when I ponder my family history; I can hear the footfall of a thousand people who came before me, their actions, their choices...I feel my place in the chain, I feel home. I thank serendipity for this little moment of joy~