Free Tip Friday: More Weaving with the Jewel Loom... PLUS leather.

Hey Gang!

Thanks so much for joining me today on FTF.

Looming with leather on the Jewel Loom is so easy and satisfying and I can't wait to see how you interpret this technique.

You could choose a variety of materials, but I used the following:

• 2mm Matte Copper Hematite Cut Cubes
• 2mm Matte Silver Hematite Cut Cubes
• Charcoal C-Lon D or Micro C-Lon
• Size 10 Sharps
• Bordeaux Ultra Suede
• .5mm Distressed Gray Leather 
• Courtesan Button Silver
• E6000
• and of course the Jewel Loom

Just a word of caution when you are looming with cut cubes. When you cut the project off of the loom, it may be a bit stiff. "Massage" the bracelet to loosen the beads up a bit. I really had to massage the piece pretty well to get it to have nice, supple movement.

Check out the FB broadcast from Wednesday, April 4th on how to glue the suede to the ends of the bracelet and the broadcast below for all the details on creating this bracelet using leather and the cubes. Enjoy!

FB Live Wrap-up on Looming & Laddering with SuperDuos and Duets

Hi Gang!
Thanks for watching our Facebook Live broadcast this week. It was great to share Looming and Laddering with SuperDuos with so many viewers. Thanks so much for your questions, comments, link shares and likes! It really means a lot.

L to R Acanthus (version 1), Smoke Signals and Hide and Seek.

As promised, here is the wrap-up with a tools and materials list from Looming with Super Duos and Duets.

Tools
Jewel Loom
Xuron Thread & Cord Scissors
Size 10 Seed Bead Needles 
Ruler

Materials
1 tube 10 or 11/0 seed beads. I used Aged Czech Picasso 10/0.
1 tube Size 8 seed beads. I used Gilding Matte Gold Plate.
SuperDuo Duets. I used Green Turquoise + Ivory Dark Travertine.
Fine C-Lon Olive for warp
Micro C-Lon Olive for weft
Ultra Suede. I used Topiary.
Compassion Suede. I used Brown,
or a clasp like Cool Luke Brass.

Find the PDF handout for the Acanthus motif at this link.  Find the tutorial for adding the leather as I did to the ends on our Tricks to Looming & Bead Weaving Project.

For the lovely Laddering Projects from Janice, we created two landing pages on our website. Find all the info you need for both projects. Hide and Seek here, and Smoke Signals here.

We also chatted about some of our Skill Builders. Find our tips on Macramé and our Stitchionary.

All this week you save an extra 10% through 11/10/16 on all SuperDuos in stock including all of our Duets. Remember to add your storewide coupon from the website banner for even greater savings!

I hope you enjoyed this journey into designing with this very versatile two-holed glass bead. If you missed our LIVE broadcast, find it on our video tab on the beadshop.com Facebook page.

Thanks again for watching and see you all next Wednesday at 10:30 AM Pacific time!

Loom Versus Off-Loom Bead Weaving

The Jewel Loom has become popular at beadshop lately, thanks to Kate’s wonderful video on Facebook. If you’ve been wondering if a loom is something you might want to try some time, then it might be helpful to have an understanding of the difference between using a loom versus not using a loom to weave beads. 

First, let’s consider bead weaving in general. Bead weaving is much like fiber related weaving in that a piece of fabric of some kind is the end result. When weaving with beads, instead of fiber, you end up a piece of fabric made with beads. This beaded fabric can then be turned into a finished piece of jewelry such as this Venetian Sunset bracelet by Janice Parsons. 

So, now what’s the difference between off-loom weaving and loom weaving? 

With off-loom weaving, normally a single needle and thread is used. For a few designs, you might use two needles and two threads, but that would be the largest number of threads you would normally be working with. As you thread your needle through beads and weave them together, with off-loom bead weaving you are required to use your hands to hold the piece you are making, or you may sometimes be able to set the piece on a flat surface as well. However, it will often require that you pick up the piece with one hand and keep it stationary while using your other hand to weave the beads with the needle and thread.

With loom bead weaving, the loom provides a way to assist you in holding your work and keeping it in place as you weave, which is often why some beaders prefer a loom. Again, like a regular fiber loom, you have multiple threads in two directions – vertical and horizontal – as you work on a loom. The horizontal threads are the “weft” threads, and the vertical are the “warp” threads. Because you have the loom to keep your work in one spot, looms can mean you might work a little faster than if you did not use this extra tool to weave beads.

Ultimately, it comes down to a very subjective and personal preference decision on whether to use a loom or not when weaving with beads. Both work, and both can give you the end result of creating a finishes piece of jewelry. 

Facebook LIVE Wrap-up on Looming!

Hi Gang!
Thanks for watching our debut broadcast this week on Facebook Live.

As promised, here is a list of the products I used during the broadcast for the looming project I demonstrated on-air. My finished bracelet measured 7 1/4".

 Ingredients List:

• Jewel Loom
• Big Eye Needles
• C-Lon Thread in Sage Regular and Gray Micro
• 2 Strands Shadows- I used the regular Shadows for the project in an Antique Copper plate 
• 1 Strand 3mm Czech Glass I used Picasso Green Turquoise in the Copper Bracelet,  Turquoise Moon Dust with the Silver, and Picasso Coral with the Brass
• Cornerstone Clasp in Copper
• Xuron Thread & Cord Scissor
• Beadsmith Zap Jewelry Gel
• Deep Dish Project Tray
• Project Tray Insert

Project Notes:

• The sample is 7 beads wide.
• Pattern is Row 1:  Copper Shadows across entire row. Row 2; Three Shadows, one 3mm bead and three Shadows. Repeat rows 1 and 2. 
• Consult page 8 of the Tapestry Woven Bracelet Project Handout for a refresher on weaving the finishing weft of the bracelet and gluing the clasp in place. 

If you missed our LIVE broadcast, find it on our beadshop.com Facebook Page. We have a special offer for our viewers that is valid through Thursday, October 27 at Midnight PST.

You can watch all of our archived broadcasts on our YouTube Channel. Watch our latest below.

Thanks for watching and see you next week!