A Guide to Loom Wood Beading

Beading is a fun and fabulous hobby, and there are actually a few different types of beading you can do, one in particular being loom wood beading. Loom wood beading is basically just like regular beading only you use a loom to complete the actual beading process. There are many different styles and types of beading looms to choose from, each which offers its own separate features and qualities.

The Different Types of Beading Looms

You can make your own loom or you can purchase one at a beading store. Most looms are quite inexpensive but if you buy a larger one you are going to end up paying a bit more. Most people stick with the smaller looms because they are sufficient for most beading projects, such as bracelets and belts.

Learning About Loom Wood Beading

For a basic loom wood beading project you will need: a bead loom, scissors, seed or pony beads, linen or nylon thread, a needle, and bead patterns. The first step involved in loom wood beading is to thread the loom. You do this by unrolling two or three yards of beading thread from the spool, and then you wrap one end of the thread around one of the screws on the loom a couple of times.

Make sure that you are holding the thread tightly, and then slide the long end of the thread through a center slit. Now you want to wind it around the other screw, return it through the opposite center slit, and so on, making sure that you keep the tension even while going through all of the necessary slits. Once you have finished this part of the loom wood beading process, you need to begin bead weaving.

You want to cut off a one-yard length of your beading thread, and thread one end of it through until the length is almost halved, then tie the long end of the thread to the outside warp thread on the loom, making sure to leave at least an inch or two of thread free.

Now you use your needle to pick up the first row of beads, choosing the colors that are specified in your particular pattern. Once you have all of the beads on the needle, you slip them down the thread to the bottom, ensuring that they are snug against the beading threads. Pass the needle now underneath the warp threads, and then pass it through the beads from the opposite direction but this time putting it over top of the warp threads, and this will lock your beads into place for row one.

Then all you do from here is repeat this process for each row, and as you near the end of your thread, you need to run it through the bead row a third time and cut it off, then start the next thread by threading it through the same row a fourth time, then you continue as before, and tie off by leaving just enough of the warp thread to be able to tie a secure knot with your fingers.

A Guide to Tapestry Beading

There are various different forms of beading that you can choose from, one in particular being tapestry beading. Tapestry beading is one of the more decorative forms of beading, but it is also the most difficult. Basically it is just like any other type of beading only with the use of tapestries.

What are Tapestries?

Tapestries are forms of textile art, and they are typically woven by hand on a vertical loom. Colorful patterns and images are created by the weft-face weaving technique that is used, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work. This is much different from cloth work, in which both the warp and weft threads are usually visible.

There are numerous famous tapestries in the world which can be used as examples, such as the Apocalypse Tapestry, which is the longest tapestry in the world at 140m long. Then there is also the Sampul tapestry, the Hestia tapestry, the Bayeux tapestry, and the Hunt of the Unicorn, which is a seven piece tapestry from 1495 to 1505, and which is currently being displayed at the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Tapestry Beading

Tapestry beading occurs when beads are placed over top of these bright and beautiful types of designs, and although tapestry beading can be quite a demanding project in terms of time and effort, it creates stunning results in the end.

There are certain materials that you need to use for this particular sort of beading, and in particular you need very sharp needles. Tightly woven tapestries will require an especially sharp needle in order to be able to penetrate the weave, while looser fabrics require a blunt tipped needle. This is because the blunt needles basically just push aside the fabric threads that you are beading on and go in between them.

Determining the proper thread size is also very important when working on tapestries, and the thread that you are using will decide how large an eye you are going to need. Typically your pattern will let you know what type of thread you need, or you can do your own research and learn about the particular type of tapestry that you are working on if it is pre-made.

You also always want to be sure of what it is that you want to accomplish, before you get started. After all you do not want to ruin a tapestry by making a mistake, especially if it is a more expensive one, and so taking the time and putting in the effort beforehand to plan carefully is critical.