Heather Powers - Bead-Making Lab: 52 Explorations for Crafting Beads from Polymer Clay, Plastic, Paper, Stone, Wood, Fiber, and Wire

52 EXPLORATIONS FOR CRAFTING BEADS FROM POLYMER CLAY, PLASTIC, PAPER, STONE, WOOD, FIBER, AND WIRE
HEATHER POWERS

I DISCOVERED BEADS OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO WHEN I STUMBLED UPON A LITTLE SHOP WITH A DISPLAY OF BEADS AMID CRYSTALS AND OTHER COLLECTIBLES. I CANT EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED: I THINK IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. I WAS SUDDENLY OBSESSED WITH THESE TINY THINGS!

After realizing there was an entire world of beads, I spent hours in my art school library poring over books filled with ancient examples of handmade beads. I read magazines like Ornament that showed the cutting edge of modern mediums, and I studied the few books available in our library on jewelry making. I fell hard for this new love and soaked up everything I could about the world of beads.

It wasnt long before I was smitten with the idea of making my own beads. I discovered the low-tech and color-drenched world of polymer clay and have been making my own beads ever since. I now make my living selling my handcrafted art beads.

I love that, with a few basic materials, you can create focal points for your jewelry that are limited only by your own imagination. This book covers beads created from materials that can be found in craft shops and hardware stores. With simple tools and craft materials, I explore a wide variety of ways to create beads. These Labs are just the starting point for your own love affair with handcrafted beads. I hope they spark your imagination as you dig deeper and explore the materials covered.

Each project in the book is a stand-alone project. You can work though the book like a course on bead making or jump back and forth trying new mediums that catch your eye. Check the basics at the start of each unit for valuable pointers before you start on a new medium. Carefully read through the directions before starting a project: Some of the steps are not shown in photos. Throughout the book, youll find examples of beads from professional artists who are working in similar media. I showcase four artists who work in a range of materials to create unique mixed-media jewelry. At the start of each unit, youll find a gallery of jewelry that Ive created from the beads featured in the fifty-two labs. Here, youll find lots of ways to incorporate your new beads into jewelry.

Whether you are just starting out with your bead crush or fanning the flames of a long love affair, I hope you find Bead-Making Lab inspiring and educational as you explore a years worth of bead-making projects.

Heather Powers

You could easily have many of these tools in your craft and jewelry-making supplies. Most can be found at any craft store, and a few will require a quick trip to the hardware store.

Round nose pliersUse these to create loops with wire.

Chain- and flat-nose pliersUse these to bend wire, open jump rings, and hold onto small objects.

Wire cuttersLook for flush cutters with a flat side to create clean cuts on wire. Heavyduty cutters or memorywire cutters are needed for steel wire.

Ball-peen hammerThis hammer with one side flat and one side rounded is used to flatten and texture wire and metal.

Bench blockThis small steel block is used with the ball-peen hammer to flatten wire.

Pliers and wire cutters

Ballpeen hammer and bench block

Generaluse craft tools

GENERAL CRAFT TOOLS

Stamping and shaping tools

Hole punch, scissors, and craft knife

Rubber stamps and cookie cutters

Paintbrushes with soft, synthetic fibers suitable for acrylics or watercolors

Paintbrushes

FELTING AND SEWING

Foam spongeUse a synthetic kitchen sponge or a dense foam felting sponge.

Felting needlesThese long, sharp needles are barbed to grab and interlock fibers.

Sewing and beading needlesBeading needles have a very thin head. Thicker sewing needles are used with embroidery floss. Large darning needles can be used to shape polymer clay.

Foam sponge with felting and sewing needles

SPECIALTY TOOLS

Mini hacksawUse this for sawing wood and twigs.

Pin-vise drillThis hand-operated mini drill is used for making holes in softer materials such as wood and polymer clay.

Pin-vise drill and mini hacksaw

Rotary tool, sanding bands, drill bit, and diamond drill bitsUse diamond drill bits for drilling harder materials such as glass and stone. Look for drill bits that are 1.5 or 2 mm thick. Use 240-grit sanding bands and a 2 mm drill bit for easier bead making. All the projects in this book use the rotary tool on the slowest setting.

Embossing heat toolUse this scrapbooking tool for setting paint and melting embossing powder.

Embossing heat tool and rotary tool

Styrofoam blockUse this to hold beads upright as they dry.

Mold puttyUse this two-part mold material for making impressions from buttons and nature materials.

Leather spoon and shaper toolUse the shaper part of the tool that looks like a dull knife to shape lines into leather. The spoon is used to create impressions for dimensional designs on the leather.

Leather spoon and shaper tool

POLYMER-CLAY TOOLS AND MATERIALS

Pasta machine or clay-conditioning machineThis will roll out clay in thin, even sheets.

Cutting bladeUse a thin tissue blade 3 to 4 inches (10.2 cm) long for cutting polymer clay.