Monday 18 May 2009

A bead covered with seed beads

Here is an idea for recycling large polymer clay beads you don't like.
Materials: large bead, painted into one colour (normally, to match seed beads), seed beads, a needle and a thin invisible nylon thread.

I have chosen two shades of gold and blue seed beads. Mixed them in a dish.

To stop seed beads from sliding down from a large bead, place a stripe of a double-sided sticky tape.

Pass a thread through the bead and stick the end of the thread to a tape.

Take 4 beads and join them into a circle.

For the second circle take 3 beads, and join them into a circle with a top bead of the first circle. Pass the thread so that it comes out of the top bead of the second circle.

Make the full row around the bead.

For the second row take 3 seed beads and join them into a circle with a bead of the first row.

Now take only 2 seed beads, and join them into a circle with 2 beads (one of the first circle of a second row, and one of the first row).

Make a full second row around the bead, then make a third row.

To reduce a row, in some places (according to situation, depends on a size of a large bead) pass a thread through 2 beads of a previous row instead of one, and count those two beads as one. Take 2 seed beads, and join them into a circle consisting of 5 seed beads.

A few more rows, and your bead is ready :)

12 comments:

  1. How very cool! And what a great tip about the strip of double sided tape to get started with!

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  2. Thanks! Glad you liked it! :)

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  3. This is a really neat idea! I've done a few seed beads in a strip around the middle on some pretty beads, but this is a great way to completely cover an ugly bead!

    I agree with Dlsarmywife that the double sided tape is an excellent tip! I had a heck of a time when I tried to do mine. ~Cindy Lietz

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  4. That's a wonderful idea to use double sided tape to start the bead ! I never thought of that. thanks for sharing.

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  5. Hi Zuleykha,this is fantastic idea,finaly I can read your blog,I've always been here but only watching the photos!!
    I love yore works!!
    Have a nice week!!
    Lidia

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  6. Hi Zu
    I love your tutorials, they are the best I have seen on the web, and you give them away free AWESOME!!!!
    Thank You Rita

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  7. Hi Zu
    I love your tutorials, they are the best I have seen on the web, and you give them away free AWESOME!!!!
    Thank You Rita

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  8. Hi Zu
    I love your tutorials, they are the best I have seen on the web, and you give them away free AWESOME!!!!
    Thank You Rita

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  9. Thank you so much for describing your beautiful work. Each and every piece you have created it is awesome.
    I have created a network for art and craft lovers and inviting you to my network, there are various tutorials of cold porcelain.

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  10. Hello!I love your tutorials, they are the best. Fron Spain.
    Thank You Encarni

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  11. Qué bonitas!! y super originales!! Además con este super tutorial hasta me parece fácil; me lo apunto en trabajos pendientes, Muchas gracias!!

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  12. Es una buena idea, no cabe duda. Yo estoy intentando aprender a trabajar con bolitas. Me encantan las bolas forradas, pero no veía la manera de como se podría hacer. Había pensado que la mejor manera de forrar una bola era empezar por el centro y hacer una mitad y después la otra, pero ni idea de como lo podía agarrar para que no se moviera. Esta idea ya me facilita mucho las cosas.
    Muchas gracias.
    Maose

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