Do you find while beading in public the non beader comments go like this
'You must have really good eyes'
'You must have a lot of patience'
'How long does that take?'
I don't know about you, but my family might tell you that patience is not necessarily one of my virtues. And 'How long does it take?' I never have a good answer, I don't track it, it takes hours, I know that, but how many...a few every day for a few days...
So why seeds? The attraction to color, the level of detail, the meditative quality of the weaving, the fabulous result, the endless variety, the simplicity of the tools required?
Leave me a comment, send me mail or if you'd like to explore the subject on your blog, send me a link. I'd love to hear from you.
And if you're reading and not drawn to the seeds, why not?
32 comments:
I love beads because with our love and effort, they can be transformed into lovely accessories!
Love the variety of colors and sizes that are available =)
I am not patience but the passion of beading just keep me on.
I do get all of those comments! And I'm not known for patience. One friend asked if I knew how silly that sounded coming from a seed beader! Yes, it does sound silly.
Why seeds? The smaller the beads are, the more detail I get. I love making something from nothing. Then there are the colors! Oh, they myriad choices of colors and TEXTURES and SURFACE TREATMENTS and oh, oh, oh!
Sorry. I got carried away. I'll blog and link!
Yes I've heard all those comments and more lol!
I always say that beads have taught me patience but there's probably more sign of that outwardly than inwardly. I often have a feeling of rising impatience when the bead is just too full of thread or there's a knot or I accidentally tip over a pot of beads, but I know I have to count to 10 and push on through if I want results.
Oh and I used to have excellent eyesight but spending years staring at beads and sometimes fogetting to blink has changed all that. I wouldn't have it any other way though - I just love beads and what you can transform them into!
Ha! I was born in 1967, in the middle of the "summer of love", I'm a hippie by nature. Seedbeads were no "choice", they were a "must" for me ;-))
I think there's something in the character of a person that loves seed beeds that causes you compared to others (who can take them or leave them) to adore them. Here's three characteristics:
-you can control them
-you like shiny/glassy object
-you like the fact that something so small and inexpensive can turn into something big and shiny
The act of stitching is zen, meditative, mesmerizing and enchanting. The end result connects all those tiny jewels into an amazing fabric... and something we can wear!
I love the smooth or nubbie textures that can be achieved with seed beads. I enjoy the feel of them in my hands, their perfection, colors, finish, shapes. When they are woven they look to me like tiny mosaics. I am at peace when beading like no other time during the day. Like others have said, I consider stitching to be Zen and meditation - a whole "living in the moment experience". I love the challenge of designing with tiny beads. I often play classical or jazz or techno music CDs while beading and it puts me right out in the zone!
Seed beads - what can be better? Any style, any texture, any color combination, I'm sure for any not only adornment needs of anybody!
I agree with what everyone before me has said. I have always enjoyed working with my hands and also have a passion for tiny things. So using a needle and thread to weave seed beads together and creating something artistic and new brings so much satisfaction and a real sense of accomplishment to my life - even if no one else likes it.
Seedbeads? Relatively inexpensive, they can be transformed into anything your imagination can come up with. You can sew them on a cloth one at a time or make a sculpture of beads. I, personally, love the textural quality of seedbeads. I often hear about the patience it must take to do the bead embroidery that I love. For me, using seedbeads is soothing and often takes me far away from daily stresses. I can't imagine life without them.
I'm one of those non-seed bead people who read your blog anyway because I'm envious of people who have the vision to plan in such detail and get such appealing results.
I have tried using seed beads (4 times) and have had results that I was quite pleased with. But working with seed beads is just too tedious and frustrating for my taste. It makes me tense. I think it's really a spatial relationship problem for me - my eyes and brain just have a hard time understanding how it's all going to fit together. It's like a tiny puzzle and I'm not very good with puzzles.
So, I work primarily with metals - big chunks of metal. Seed beads are beautiful, but I'd rather buy a piece of seed bead jewelry from someone else than make it myself.
I'm afraid to admit I've made most of those silly comments to my seed bead friends, but the comments are really just envy talking.
Seed beads allow me to build a tiny universe one dot at a time. Not only does this give me the ultimate control over the finished work, it allows me to manipulate the shape, color and dimension of that work down to the most minute detail. The infinite color options also make seed beads a natural choice.
Although I am primarily a wire worker, the simplicity and infinite possibilities of seed beads makes them one of my very favorite materials.
Hi Marcia! I wrote a blog post in response to your question. Here it is: http://rachelnelsonsmith.blogspot.com/2009/07/seed-beads-why.html#links
I posted my answer on my blog here:
http://npbeading.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-seed-beads.html
Nancy
I think the quote by Confucius sums it up for me "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". I love tackling big projects one step at a time. Seed bead work is like that for me. It gives you the capacity to create stunning pieces of jewellery, one bead at a time. I love to look at the finished piece sitting beside the tubes of seed beads that created it.
Great topic! I also made a blog post to answer the question:
http://erthefae.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-seed-beads.html
Okay, I am 50 years old, I strung together my first seed beads before I was out of grade school. I don't think since that time I have ever lived anyplace that there weren't a few beads on the floor. In all honesty, I didn't really learn how to bead until the late 1970's when I learned peyote stitch.
Who remembers Horace Goodhue's Indian Bead Weaving Book - my all time FAVORITE? No color pictures, but plenty of patterns. I was hooked.
I string now, but seed beads remain my favorite just because we grew up together and the possibilities are endless. It doesn't hurt that they are beautiful.
Great question! I posted an answer on my blog:
http://thisgirlbeads.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-seeds.html
I love seed beads because I can create something from nothing. I started with cross stitch embroidery, and then moved to all the other types, including needle lace and stumpwork. I love the last two, but there's not much you can do with them. There are only so many pillows and pictures one needs.
Off loom weaving is very close to lace making. One type of lace is called "punto in aria" stitches in the air, which is how I think of beadwork. And I can wear the finished product, instead of trying to figure out what wall it might fit on.
Joann
Ohhhhhhhh! Fantastically good! The bracelet looks divinely,but the berry i love it! I love it!
Wonderful made tresures.
Notice how there are 22 comments (and counting) for your seed bead philosophizing .... So true about what people say (patience & how many hours), that's just what they say to me when I display seed bead projects, and I live in Germany. Glad some of your commenters left reasons why they prefer seed beads, now I better understand why I do! Great topic.
How long does it take? is an interesting question. Do people mean just the amount of time it takes to actually make the piece, once you have chosen your beads, shopped for them, and tried a few color combinations to see if they work? Do they mean all the time you have spent thinking about design,maybe drawing out a few ideas and beading a few samples? Do they mean finding kits by your favorite instructors and waiting until you receive them? Studying the instructions, and, if you are beading publicly, the years spent coming up with just the right materials in just the right carrier so that you can easily pull your beads out and bead? And what about the time it has taken you to even learn the stitch?
Marcia - I bet you didn't think that that one little question could have so many variables to it!!! I usually just say, "a long time." That's all people want to know!
Susan
For me it's not a question of patience but of just following where the beads lead me. Sometimes I feel peaceful while beading, sometimes really fired up and excited. What I find awe-inspiring about seed beads is how something so tiny and insignificant can combine with others to make something beautiful and inspiring -a metaphor for humanity, I suppose!
Why seeds? What else!
How long does it take? Until it's finished! :-))
Seed beading really calms me down after a long day at work. Every piece is like a giant puzzle, but I can take influence on the look by changing the size, the color, the surface of the material used.
And with beading I got to know the nicest women I ever met in my whole life so far.
I love so much about seed beads. THe process is therapeutic and has got me through some tough times. The colours are just delightful and scrumptious. Then there is the amazement that from something so small and round you can create such variety of shape and texture
I love seed beads! You can make a lot with them and and when you use some of the little seed beads you can make a lot of figures and than they aren't too big....they are multifarious!
I love beading because I can relax and be creative! So I can't imagine a life without beads! ;-))
Hey Marcia. Finally got around to viewing blogs & saw your question about seed beads. Here's my response on my own blog
http://speediebeadie.blogspot.com/2009/07/seed-beads-why.html
My main answer is it reminds me laying on the floor with a box of 16 Crayolas and a brand new coloring book.
Question I always get when people see my work is #1, how long does that take, and # 2 how much to you charge for that. Never changes...always the same questions.
dot
Color, color, color! Did I say color?
Hello Marcia, i was so impressed when i have seen firt time your page.i am a beader from germany and i have created my first bracelet by myself. It was quit hard but at the end i was succesful.what i relly like to know is about your golden necklace which is on the top of your homepage,i have bought your last book, is there any instrucktion of this in one of your books,and if not how may i have the instruction of this ,please if you have got time i would be pleased if you send me responnse. :-)). please be so kind and show us beaders more from your beautiful yewellerys. your amina
I'm not sure of the attraction to seed beads for me. I think it might be the large number for a small amount of money, I think it's the enormous amount of colors and color combinations, I think it might be just seeing that I have an abundance of beautiful colorful beads sitting here on my table! I can't find the thing I love to make the most. I'm still exploring.
I love your seed bead work and wish I could do such beautiful work, too.
Kathy Anderson
www.pinsneedlesandgems.blogspot.com
www.etsy.com/shop/pinsneedlesandgems
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