Bead Weaving
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Bead weaving (or beadweaving) is a set of techniques for weaving sheets and objects of seed beads. Threads are strung through and/or around the beads to hold them together. It can be done either on a
loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...
or using one of a number of off-loom stitches.


On-loom beadweaving

When weaving on a loom, the beads are strung on the
weft In the manufacture of cloth, warp and weft are the two basic components in weaving to transform thread (yarn), thread and yarn into textile fabrics. The vertical ''warp'' yarns are held stationary in tension on a loom (frame) while the horizo ...
threads and locked in between the warp threads. Although loomed pieces are typically rectangular, it is possible to increase and decrease to produce angular or curvy shapes.
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can also be added during weaving or before the piece is removed from the loom.


Frame looms

The most common modern loom bead weaving technique requires two passes of the weft thread per row of beads. First, an entire row of beads is strung on the weft thread. Then the beads are pressed in between the warp threads from below. Then the needle is passed back through the beads, but above the warp threads, to lock the beads into place. Bead looms vary in size and are typically made of wood or metal. Usually, a
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or spring is used to hold the warp threads a bead-width apart (the lede image shows a threaded rod). Some looms have roller bars; these allow the weaver to produce pieces that are longer than the loom. Most looms are meant to sit on a table, but some have floor stands or are meant to sit in the lap. Cheap bead looms are sometimes made from styrofoam trays, wrapping the warp through evenly-spaced small slits notched into opposite edges.


Heddle looms

Heddle A heddle or heald is an integral part of a loom. Each thread in the warp passes through a heddle,"Weaving." ''The Encyclopædia Britannica''. 11th ed. 1911. which is used to separate the warp threads for the passage of the weft."Heddle." '' ...
bead looms were popular in the United States near the beginning of the 20th century. They allow weaving of beads by raising every other thread and inserting strung beads in the shed, the space between the lowered and raised threads. There are still a few heddle bead looms being manufactured today. The most difficult part of loomwork is finishing off the warp threads.


Off-loom beadweaving

Off-loom beadweaving is a family of beadwork techniques in which seed
bead A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under 1 ...
s are woven together into a flat
fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
, a tubular rope, or a three-dimensional object such as a ball, clasp, box, or a piece of jewelry. Most off-loom techniques can be accomplished using a single needle and thread (no warp threads), and some have two-needle variations. Different stitches produce pieces with distinct textures, shapes, and patterns. There are many different off-loom bead stitches, including new stitches (distinct thread paths) published as recently as 2015: * albion stitch, developed by Heather Kingsley-Heath, published May 2009 * brick stitch, also known as Comanche or Cheyenne stitch * chevron stitch, a triangular form of bead netting * diamond weave, developed over a number of years by Gerlinde Lenz, published August 2015 * herringbone stitch, also known as Ndebele stitch * hubble stitch and wave hubble stitch, created and developed by Melanie de Miguel, published 2015 * netting, to avoid confusion specifically ''bead'' netting * peyote stitch, also known as gourd stitch * plaiting, crossing multiple threads as in a plait or braid, using beads to connect the crossings * pondo stitch, also known as African circle stitch * right-angle weave * Saint Petersburg chain * square stitch, an off loom stitch that mimics the look of loomed bead projects. *ladder stitch, a foundation stitch that is used to build a base for brick stitch or herringbone stitch. * triangle weave Spiral Bead Weaving Stitches * Cellini spiral, a tubular peyote stitch * Dutch spiral * African helix * Russian spiral *Chenille


See also

* Glass beadmaking * Beadwork * Bead embroidery * Bead knitting * Bead crochet *
Quillwork Quillwork is a form of textile embellishment traditionally practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of North America that employs the Spine (zoology), quills of porcupines as an aesthetic element. Quills from bird feathe ...


References


Further reading

* Virginia Blakelock, ''Those Bad, Bad Beads!'' Virginia Blakelock Publisher, 1990. * Don Pierce, ''Beading on a Loom.'' Interweave Press, 1999. * Carol Wilcox Wells, ''Creative Bead Weaving.'' Lark Books, 1996. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bead Weaving Weaving Beadwork