tricks of the trade so to speak...

[delila77]

well tricks of the trade is a figure of speech,but im coming to a situation. i'm using cuts size 12 and 9 i'm experiencing more issues with straight lines. does anyone have any suggestions on keeping straight lines in beadwork? my ma always told me beadwork is never perfect because life isnt that way. size 13's i never have issues. i do the whole outline thing and its just the shape of the beads. my beads i always go through.

[wyo_rose]

Are you using Charlotte cuts or 3 cuts? Charlotte cuts are easier to fit in line...3 cuts are a pain.

You need to start out with a straight MARKED line, and get your first row or outline EXACTLY straight. It involves not only following the line, but eye-balling it to make sure it LOOKS right.

Don't crowd your beads, tack every 2, if you're doing applique stitch.

If you're doing lane or lazy stitch, mark one side of your lane and make your thread come up and go down on that line.

You have to watch out for other colors of beads being slightly different sizes, or even different brands, different hanks, etc... If you get off, you'll need to cull your beads, or physically move your line over and put more tacks in it between EACH bead.

Don't be afraid to UNBEAD and take some of your stuff out and re-do it. However, I always say done is better than perfect....but I get stuck because I'm such a perfectionist...at times...LOL

[delila77]

Are you using Charlotte cuts or 3 cuts? Charlotte cuts are easier to fit in line...3 cuts are a pain.

You need to start out with a straight MARKED line, and get your first row or outline EXACTLY straight. It involves not only following the line, but eye-balling it to make sure it LOOKS right.

Don't crowd your beads, tack every 2, if you're doing applique stitch.

If you're doing lane or lazy stitch, mark one side of your lane and make your thread come up and go down on that line.

You have to watch out for other colors of beads being slightly different sizes, or even different brands, different hanks, etc... If you get off, you'll need to cull your beads, or physically move your line over and put more tacks in it between EACH bead.

Don't be afraid to UNBEAD and take some of your stuff out and re-do it. However, I always say done is better than perfect....but I get stuck because I'm such a perfectionist...at times...LOL

im using 3 cuts. yay im realizing how much of a pain they are to deal with. im wondering if i should just switch to nothing but charlottes. that means i got left over 3 cuts not sure what to do with.

[Joe's Dad]

So can you mix, say, 1 hank, or maybe even 1/2 hank with about 4 hanks of rocailles?

[Joe's Dad]

So can you mix, say, 1 hank, or maybe even 1/2 hank with about 4 hanks of rocailles?

I forgot...3-cuts. lol

[ac_miss]

Beading with 3-cuts aren't so bad. The white ones, I've noticed, are the most uneven to work with, but I've learned to just go with it.

Just try your best to bead straight lines. It takes a bit of practice but it can be done.

[Czechy]

If you don't want to mark your starting line because, say you are beading with white beads on a white background and the ink will show through, then another option is to lay down a strip of blue painter's tape and bead right along the edge. Remove the tape after your line is completed. Tack down that first line really well so that it does not shift when you start beading the lines next to it.

12/o cuts can be pretty irregular. Just cull out the really crooked ones. Hopefully, their sparkle will blind any onlookers to any crookedness in your beading!

[yaahl]

I found if I didn't pay attention to the tension of my thread while sewing down the beads would also contribute to crooked lines. The harder I yanked on the thread, the more tendancy for the lines to end up wavy/crooked.

Too loose a thread can also cause problems later on when the article is worn and the backing stretches - pulls the beads all over the place. Backing your work helps but the tension is the real assisstant to keeping things straight.

[wyo_rose]

if you don't want to mark your starting line because, say you are beading with white beads on a white background and the ink will show through, then another option is to lay down a strip of blue painter's tape and bead right along the edge. Remove the tape after your line is completed. Tack down that first line really well so that it does not shift when you start beading the lines next to it.

awesome tip!

[subeeds]

If you don't want to mark your starting line because, say you are beading with white beads on a white background and the ink will show through, then another option is to lay down a strip of blue painter's tape and bead right along the edge. Remove the tape after your line is completed. Tack down that first line really well so that it does not shift when you start beading the lines next to it.

12/o cuts can be pretty irregular. Just cull out the really crooked ones. Hopefully, their sparkle will blind any onlookers to any crookedness in your beading!

I always keep a small dish/container on my bead tray for beads I have to cull. Just because they won't fit into what you are doing now, doesn't mean they won't be just perfect for that odd place in a peyote project or a curved place in a design. Sometimes that bead that was off on one project can be the perfect bead in another.