any jewelry makers here?

[divagirl]

I just bought some supplies to make a bracelet to start with. Are there any great resources that you can share which will help me get a better understanding of beading and making various types of jewelry? I am new and I am starting with something that may be a little out of my league but I"m gonna try it.

Also, did you learn on your own or take a class?

Tina

 

[LaughingWater]

I don't make jewelry, but I enjoy working with my hands via quilting and crocheting. I know what you mean about jumping right in there and going for it ~ I do the same thing. I just borrow a book from the library, buy my supplies, and get to it. (Prior to making my first quilt, all I could do was sew on a button. I had never even been to a fabric store before. Totally clueless!)

Have fun and be sure to post some pictures when you're done.

 

[intensityjunkie]

My neighbor does and she showed me a few things. I made a few sets of earings and saw her make a really nice necklace. Stores like Michaels have tons of good books to look at and you may find some at the library.
The kind I want to do I found some tutorials on etsy that I plan to try out. Here are a few. Not bracelets but you may be interested.
hth.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12860731

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12879484

 

[LeanneM]

Hi Tina,

I've been beading for about four years, and I took some classes at a local bead store to get started beading. You can also learn how to do simple stringing from a book or even from some websites. Like Jess said, Michaels or your local craft store or bead store might also offer some inexpensive classes.

Here are a couple of books I'd recommend that are good for starting out:

http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Beaded-...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214515271&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214515325&sr=1-4

Both of these books cover basic stringing techniques, but they also go into depth about using a needle and thread to do more stitching. (If you look at my Picturetrail, I have some samples of jewelry I've made the last couple of years. I made most of the beaded pieces with a needle and thread.)

My friend started beading last year, and she bought some patterns and kits from this website that she said were really easy to learn from:

http://aroundthebeadingtable.com/

I think they also have some free patterns that you can download, and many of them use those lovely Swarovski crystals that you can now buy at Michaels.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions! Just be warned: beading is *very* addictive once you start!

 

[LeanneM]

Oh, and these are my two favorite places to order beads and crystals:

www.fusionbeads.com

www.artbeads.com

Both have great prices and free shipping with no minimum order.

Fire Mountain (http://www.firemountaingems.com/) also has a great selection, but they tend to be more expensive and you have to pay for shipping. Their website is fun to check out, though, and they also have some free projects.

Enjoy!

 

[NRGWoman]

I have been beading for many years and love it. I started with stringing larger beads and now I mostly work with seed beads. My favorite resources are beading magazines. Since I like seed beads I like Bead & Button and Beadwork Magazine. There are magazines for any type of beading you are interested in. The magazines tend to be more expensive than my fitness magazines, which gives me pause, but I still always renew them.

As for ordering beads I love Fire Mountain Beads. I still can't figure out how to make a link, but you can search for them. The good things about Fire Mountain is that they send you a HUGE catalog of almost everything you could think of needing to make jewelry. Also, ordering from them is almost a game. You get a discount for the more you order, so if you decide to use them, order everything at once. Also they have great online galleries and instructions if you ever need help.

Have fun with your beading. Sometimes I am not sure if I have more beads or videos

Shayne

 

[Connie1]

I have not posted in a long time but I am an old Catheite. I make jewelry and have a website. It is www.papayani.com. On it, I have a links page. One of those links takes you to Urban Maille, a great place to start if you like to make metal (silver, gold) jewelry. Another great resource on my links page is Orchid.

Boy it is still smoky here, the sun was dark orange all day, when it could be seen at all. Even sunbeams that the cats gravitate to, an otherworldly orange!

Connie

 

[LeanneM]

Hi again, Tina -- Shayne's post reminded me of two magazines that are designed for beginning beaders: _Step by Step Beads_ and _Stringing Style_. They're cheaper than the books I mentioned, and you can easily find them at places like Target and Michaels. Each issue always has a section that goes over basic things like using crimp beads, etc.

Connie -- Your jewelry is just gorgeous!! You make such lovely things! Sorry that those fires are so close to you!

 

[Connie1]

Hi Leanne,

The smoky smell is gone for now but it is still very hazy. Thanks for your compliments. What fantastic things you have made. I looked at your picturetrail. Wow!

Step by Step Beads and also Bead and Button Magazine are well-respected sources of info. After beading a bit, I became attracted and addicted to chainmaille jewelry.

Now I need to get more active and less sedentary.

Going outside,

Connie

 

[LeanneM]

Hi Connie -- Glad things are better up there! I've done a bit of soldering and silverwork, but haven't taken any chainmaille classes . . . yet!}( Take care up there!