How to price beaded jewelry and tutorials to sell
So, you’ve just completed your latest beautiful materpiece. Now you want to sell it. But, do you know how to price beaded jewelry or tutorials – or anything else handmade? For example, did you...
Author: beadflowers
What is a bail in beading or jewelry-making?
I’m here today to answer one of your questions: what is a bail? Now, this is a beading website, so we’ll be talking about the kind of bail you would come across in beading...
Bead Tapestry
Learn how to make wonderful bead tapestry pieces on a loom, with this beautiful new book. And yes, the book is called ‘Bead Tapestry’. The author is Jacqueline McCloy Pell, and she brings you...
Making Beaded Tassels and Fringe: Professional Tips
Have you ever tried making beaded tassels, or adding a fringe to your designs? If you have, then you’ve probably discovered something… The thread paths are very easy. But it’s actually surprisingly difficult to...
Mini Online Beading Classes
What on earth are mini online beading classes? Well, this may be a term that’s specific to me, but they are set up to help you. Basically, this is a cheaper alternative to a...
Save money when you shop on Etsy
Did you know that you have the opportunity to save money when you shop on Etsy? And you’re probably missing out on this opportunity. So, read this blog to find out what you might...
Making Bead Substitutions
I see a lot of questions about making bead substitutions. So, let me offer you some answers here. Let’s start by looking at what I mean when I say ‘making bead substitutions’. Imagine this...
Preciosa Crystals and Pearls
How would you like to receive a fabulous little box packed with Preciosa crystals and pearls? And, that’s not all you could be getting. How about a free tutorial to show you how to...
Beaded Lantern Patterns
Over the past few months, I have been working on a range of beaded lantern patterns. You will have seen some of them emerging on social media, or perhaps through my mailing list. Well,...
Herringbone Spiral Stitch In Bead Weaving
Herringbone spiral stitch is basically a variation of tubular Herringbone. It creates a spiral effect in your beads, as you may imagine. You may also see this referred to as a Herringbone twist. So,...
Tubular Herringbone Stitch For Beginners
In this blog post, I’m going to be showing you how to work in tubular herringbone stitch. I’m assuming that this is a new technique for you. So, I will be sharing a few...
Starting Herringbone Stitch: 2 Different Options
Did you know there is more than one way for starting Herringbone stitch? I am going to talk about two of my favourite options here. I’ll be talking you through the thread paths, with...
What is Herringbone stitch in beading?
So, what is Herringbone stitch in beading? It is a popular basic bead-weaving technique. The stitch has strong links to traditional African beadwork. So, you may sometimes find it called Ndbele stitch, after the...
Beading Tutorials: Should You Pay For Them?
Now, that’s a pretty provocative blog post title, right? Should you be asked to pay for beading tutorials? If you’re reading this as a designer, then I guarantee you’ll be shouting a huge YES...
Best Bead Weaving Technique To Learn First
I frequently get asked, ‘what is the best bead weaving technique to learn first?’ In fact, between 2012 and 2016, when I was teaching beginners in person, it was a question that I always...
Making Beaded Boxes With Rounded Seed Beads
A lot of people ask me about making beaded boxes using rounded seed beads, rather than Delicas. So, is this something that is possible? What are the pros and cons? Well, I’ve got a...
How To Design Beading Patterns
Have you ever had an idea for a beading project? Then, you sat down and found yourself staring at your beads? Or maybe staring at a blank piece of paper? Probably, your next thought...
Why seed bead brands matter
When I started beading, I had no idea that there was any difference between beads. I noticed that some shops stocked seed beads called ‘Miyuki seed beads’. Others mentioned ‘Matsuno seed beads’, or TOHO...
Peyote Star Topper for a Christmas Tree
In this blog, I’m going to explain how to make a Peyote star to top a Christmas tree. Now, I’m not teaching you the full star technique here because I already run a free...
Best Beaded Christmas Decorations
What are the best beaded Christmas decorations to be making this year? Well, that depends on a few things. How much time have you got? Do you want a simple PDF, or a class...
Confusing Beading Terms Explained for Beginners
A few days ago, I shared a photo of a project I’ve just completed. Now, I happened to mention that the project had involved a lot of ‘frogging’. So, I ended up with a...
Diagonal Cubic Right Angle Weave (CRAW) – Complete Guide
Have you ever heard of Diagonal Cubic Right Angle Weave? No? Well, that could be because I’ve just invented a new stitch! Or it could be that someone else has done this before, but...
Beadalon Supplemax Thread
As I continue talking about beading threads, let’s talk about Beadalon Supplemax. What is this thread? How can you use it? What are the best projects to create with it? Beadalon Supplemax Thread… …is...
Beading Patterns for Poppies
Did you know that poppies are some of the most popular flowers? You probably did. Maybe you associate them with their iconic links to commemorating our war heroes. Or perhaps you just love their...
Wooden Beads: Why You Need To Use Them
Most people have absolutely no idea how useful and versatile wooden beads are. So, are you one of these people? When was the last time you used any wooden beads? In fact, do you...
The best beading thread for transparent seed beads
If you have any experience with choosing bead colors, you may have discovered one thing… Your beading thread changes the color of your beads. Seriously. Now, this is the case with pretty much all...
TOHO T-Line Beading Thread – what is it?
Continuing my series in looking at different types of beading thread, let me introduce you to another option. TOHO T-Line beading thread. You may not have come across this before. It’s actually not widely...
Bead kits for jewelry: what should they contain?
Now, I’m aiming to answer a question posed by a reader who wants to start selling bead kits. Although I’ll be looking at how to put kits together, I will also be sharing places...
Superduo Beading Patterns for Non-Jewellery Projects
Now, many of us love Superduos, and have quite a few in our stash. But there is only so much jewellery you can make. So, did you know you can use superduos to make...
Quick and Easy Beading Projects for Christmas
It may only be September, but it’s definitely time to start working on your festive beading. So, in this blog post, I want to share some quick and easy beading projects for Christmas. These...
Superduo Daisy Chain Bracelet: Free Video Tutorial
This blog post shares a free video tutorial of my Superduo daisy chain bracelet. This is a design I created in 2015. Now, if you’re not a fan of learning from video, I do...
Interview with Katie Dean
There is a bit of a story behind this interview with Katie Dean. Firstly, you might even be wondering why Katie Dean is publishing an ‘interview with Katie Dean’ on her own website! Isn’t...
How to find color schemes that work
Are you someone who struggles with inspiration when it comes to color for a new beading project? Did you know there is help out there? That’s right, the wonders of the internet mean that...
Bead colors: do they matter?
Bead colors – how much do they matter in a design? Well, believe it or not, the coloring you use can literally make or break a design. I’ve been spending a lot of time...
Love your creative space
‘Love Your Creative Space’ is the new book by Lilo Bowman. Subtitled, ‘A visual guide to creating an inspiring and organized studio without breaking the bank.’ Well, need I say more? Whether you’re just...
Photographing Beadwork for Competitions
I was recently invited to adjudicate a beading competition run by my good friend, Erika Sandor (The Story-Telling Jeweller). The contest entries were by photograph only. So, I was judging both the beadwork and...
The Dangers of Choosing Bead Colors From Charts
Now, this is not a ‘new’ topic. In fact, it is an issue that has frequently caused controversy in the beading world. But it’s an important issue to discuss from the perspective of design....
Color Intensity in Beading
Have you ever opened a tube of beads and started using them, only to discover that the color of the individual beads looked nothing like the color in the tube? Frustrating, isn’t it? How...
What are color values in beading?
So, you’re a beader? And I’m guessing you’re here because you want to know more about choosing bead colors (successfully). Well, one of the biggest areas you need to be aware of is color...
More is More when it comes to bead colors!
You know that saying, ‘less is more’? Well, in most cases it is a great guide as you approach life. But, if you’re trying to create a beading color scheme that is going to...
How to create a colour scheme from an image that you love
Are you stumped when it comes to colours for your beading projects? Well, I’ve got a simple little trick for you to try. In this post, I’m going to be showing you how to...
One-G Beading Thread from TOHO
I’m gradually adding to my personal explorations of beading thread. I could just write about all the threads on the market, but I like to actually try them first. So, that way, I can...
Starting a jewelry business…for beginners
I get a lot of people on here asking me about starting a jewelry business. Now, I’ve got a whole section devoted to selling your work. So, that is really the place the you...
How to increase the size of a beading project
I’ve just had a very interesting question from Gail. She wanted to know how to increase the size of a beading project. Now, although that’s a great question, it doesn’t have a simple answer....
Spiral Stitch Beading Technique and Tutorials
The basic spiral stitch beading technique is one of my favourite stitches. I love it because it’s so versatile, quick and easy. It was one of the first techniques I ever learned as a...
What are Cylinder Beads?
What are cylinder beads? Have you ever heard them mentioned before? Well, the funny thing is, you probably already use these beads, but you may not know it! “How can that be?”, I hear...
Tubular Square Stitch – Free Tutorial
This blog accompanies a YouTube video teaching you the tubular square stitch technique. If you’re not great at learning from videos, then you can also download a written PDF guide showing you the thread...
How To Find Beading Competitions
So, you’ve decided you would like a bit of a challenge. Maybe you fancy winning a great beading prize. It’s time to enter a competition! But, do you know how to find beading competitions?...
Fireline Versus Wildfire Beading Thread: What’s the Difference?
A couple of weeks ago, Hazel asked a very interesting question: what is the difference between Fireline and Wildfire? And how do you know which to use? So, I’m here to take a look…...
Free Beading Tutorial: Paisley Duo Flower Motif
This blog post is linked to my YouTube video, bringing you a free beading tutorial. I have been showing you how to use a variety of shaped seed beads to make a flower motif....
