Beading Experiments

By Mary G. Holland
April 14, 2015

Last week I started some beading experiments to cheer myself up from all the April late season snow we’ve been having. I have so many beautiful beads and freshwater pearls in my supplies inventory.

The session was all about having fun, not necessarily accomplishing something – that was a bonus.  So I played with making beaded edging for some garments I’m planning for myself.   Here’s the results.  It’s long enough for a nice V neckline on a dress.

It will have to be basted on for wearing, then removed for cleaning.  Ah, the joys of maintaining couture clothing!

You can see in the sketch, the next sine wave curvy edging design I’m working on. I’m making it with the beads laying on the sketch – all gold freshwater pearls, silver lined gold beads, and vintage gold plated large seed beads.  I am going to make enough of this to use on a cream and tan silk dress jacket, along the wide hem boundary between the two colors, and along the similar sleeve hems.

I also tried making this necklace on the right…just using some cheap findings I had and nylon coated beading wire.  It uses dyed freshwater pearls, shell beads, and glass beads.

The outside shell beads tend to curl when it’s worn – the weight in front creates too much tension on the back of the lower string. You can see one of the shell beads flipped over on the upper left.  I think I need to add some knots between beads to keep the drop beads from getting too tight from the weight, and curling up.

I will probably take this one apart and start over. Besides, there are parts of the design I don’t like.  It was a nice experiment though, and I learned a few things. I have to get better at setting the crimp beads at the necklace fastener, and learning how to end the necklace with finer finishing than crimp beads.

Anyone else doing beading and jewelry making out there?  Post your pics!  Share your experience.