Beading tips and tricks

Three new ways to keep your beading creative, fun, and organized

by Cathy Jakicic

Relief at your finger tips

A wrapped-loop heavy project can irritate the skin near your fingernails. Lip balm is a great way to condition and soothe the area before and after a project.

Functional foamies
After the kids’ crafting is long over, you’ll probably still be finding stray foam stickers around the house. Put them to good use as bead-stoppers when your stringing projects are interrupted.

Snap to it
Using elastic cord is a quick way to whip together a bracelet. But after the jewelry has been worn for a while, the elastic tends to get a bit stretched out. Pick up the slack by dipping it in boiling water for a few seconds.

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CATHY JAKICIC from WISCONSIN said:

Joan - We'll work on those. Thanks for posting!

Submitted: 10/8/2010 4:15:54 PM (CST)

JOANN PHILLIPS-O'BRIEN from MARYLAND said:

Hi all. This is my first time with you. Great tips. How about a tip on how to keep your crimped wire end from coming through your jump rings and wires breaking on lanyards should I string them with string?

Submitted: 10/8/2010 9:00:40 AM (CST)

NANCY LEVINE from FLORIDA said:

I've read with interest what other bead weavers have said about conditioning thread with wax, Thread Heaven, etc. It's all good, but sometimes the wax kind of goops up on the thread (is "goop" a technical term?). I discovered that, if I run my conditioned thread down its length with a dryer conditioning sheet (like Bounce), the thread doesn't kink up. I use that sheet every time the thread begins to act hinky, and it makes the needle glide smoothly, especially when I've had to double the thread for a free-standing bead project. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Nancy

Submitted: 8/19/2010 2:11:02 PM (CST)

SALLY VEDDER from CALIFORNIA said:

Re Stretchy bracelets. I use 1 very large hole metal bead to hide the knot inside & then I fill the inside with Hypocement (or equivalent). Even if the bead is a departure from the rest of the beads in the bracelet, the eye seems to accept it as belonging there.

Submitted: 8/12/2010 4:07:44 PM (CST)

HARRIET HICKS from TEXAS said:

Great tips, and I have some of the "foamies" around because of crafting with my grand daughter.

Submitted: 8/12/2010 8:59:31 AM (CST)

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