Beading
Q.I'm starting out on a new venture. I'm making a wall hanging that requires beading as embellishment. It's at Mount Redoubt pattern "The Run" with fishes swimming up (and down) stream. The motion of the water is indicated by the beading on the background. I've never done any beading in my life! Any suggestions, hints? Anyplace I can look on the 'net for beading help?
A.I am a beader as well as a quilter & my favorite mail order source for beads is Fire Mountain - their website is www.firemountaingems.com. I think their catalog is free - I didn't look. It's rather like a phone book, so if they don't have it, you probably don't need it. They do carry seed beads in quite a few colors & they are japanese, though as others said, I think the japanese consistency is more important for jewelry making than for beading a quilt. Another source for lots of colors is Beyond Beadery - I buy from them at shows, but I'd guess their website is www.beyondbeadery.com. They're in Colorado. Fire Mountain's service is fast & impeccable - I've been a customer for a long time & have an order ready to go right now, in fact. As for beading on a quilt, I don't think you need to use beading thread for that - I'd use polyester sewing thread (it's stronger than cotton) since it will show less because you can match colors. There won't be the friction on the thread that there is in beaded jewelry & it's unlikely the beads will cut through the poly thread. Just my opinion, of course. I've done some beading on clothing & have used polyester thread with no consequences at all - it's holding up fine. If you are unfamiliar with beads, I'd caution you to stay away from the Japanese delica beads for your project - they are perfectly cylindrical (or hex cut) & won't show up as well as regular seed beads which would have more sparkle & luster.
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