Anyone ever used a beading loom?

[dino.love]

Hey guys, I'm dino. New here. (:

I do lots of different crafts, abut my current endeavour is creating a native american headpiece! I have feathers of the way (yay etsy), and I'll be making the headband out of leather.... but I would like to add a beaded piece to the front! For extra awesomeness.
I met a gal who made one the same kind of way, and she used a beading loom to make the beaded part. I found this one on amazon for like $10.

Anyone have any experience with this kind of thing??? Or any words of advice?!  

[Emm-Kaye]

dino.love

Hey guys, I'm dino. New here. (:

Anyone have any experience with this kind of thing??? Or any words of advice?!

I've got a leather cuff bracelet like this that I made when I was a kid.
The best advice I can give you for using a beading loom is to make sure your beads are all the same size - if you don't the finished piece doesn't look as nice.

It's pretty easy to do, you just follow a graph pattern for the design, put all the beads for one row on the needle/thread at a time.

There are a couple ways to do it:
One way is to bring the beads/thread over the top of the loom, placing one bead between each of the loom threads, then run the needle back through the opposite way, making sure the beads and loom threads are on top of the needle.

Another way (sometimes easier) is to bring the beaded thread underneath the loom threads, and gently hold them up with your other hand, then run the needle through just the top of the bead holes.

Make sure your tension is not too loose/not too tight, and you'll end up with a nice, flexible strip of beadwork you can attach.

The hardest part is sewing it onto the leather once it's done - you do have to tuck the knot ends underneath, and you can use glue to help hold it in place, but if you want it to last, it has to be sewn on.  

[dino.love]

Emm-Kaye

dino.love

Hey guys, I'm dino. New here. (:

Anyone have any experience with this kind of thing??? Or any words of advice?!

I've got a leather cuff bracelet like this that I made when I was a kid.
The best advice I can give you for using a beading loom is to make sure your beads are all the same size - if you don't the finished piece doesn't look as nice.

It's pretty easy to do, you just follow a graph pattern for the design, put all the beads for one row on the needle/thread at a time.

There are a couple ways to do it:
One way is to bring the beads/thread over the top of the loom, placing one bead between each of the loom threads, then run the needle back through the opposite way, making sure the beads and loom threads are on top of the needle.

Another way (sometimes easier) is to bring the beaded thread underneath the loom threads, and gently hold them up with your other hand, then run the needle through just the top of the bead holes.

Make sure your tension is not too loose/not too tight, and you'll end up with a nice, flexible strip of beadwork you can attach.

The hardest part is sewing it onto the leather once it's done - you do have to tuck the knot ends underneath, and you can use glue to help hold it in place, but if you want it to last, it has to be sewn on.

omg thanks so much. those are some seriously great points. im so excited to get it to try it out!

ill post some pictures when i get it all done (schools starting soon so might be awhile)
sweatdrop