Bead Weaving

Bead weaving is the art of using beads to create patterns or structures. The beads act as a way to secure ends together instead of using knots or looping strings around one another. The history of bead weaving dates back to the early Native Americans who found beauty in placing beads on a string and have since developed many complex ways of doing so.

Types of Bead Weaving
There are many different ways to begin creative bead weaving that will produce jewelry, accessories and works of art. Some forms require looms or needles to help the process along, but early forms of Native American weaving only consist of the string and beads. Bead weaving is a craft that can be difficult to learn, but once you have mastered it you will be able to create many intricate patterns and designs.

Starting Simple
If you wish to experiment on a small scale with bead weaving, start by collecting

a beading thread, seed beads and a needle. When selecting your beading thread, make sure that it is long and durable enough to hold the beads. If you decide to weave by hand, often known as the "off-loom" technique, you will be restricted to making flat or tubular pieces. On the other hand, you can do it anywhere. As your skills improve, rafts that you beaded by hand can be a nice addition to more complex weaving techniques to add to a finished product.

Bead Weaving Looms
More complex weaving techniques involve using bead weaving looms that separate the two strings into a warp and weft. A weft is the yarn that is brought under and over the parallel warp yarn to create a weaving fabric. You will use the weft and warp connected to the loom to create a pattern by adding beads with your fingers.

Tips
Keep in mind that if you're weaving with a loom, place only a couple of beads into the row when you add a new thread. This will make the thread easier to work back into the actual pattern.