Bead Craft – Tools of the Trade

A topic not much discussed in articles concerning bead craft is what I like to all "optional equipment.” Understandably, most bead craft articles focus on the beading projects, or the beads themselves and various discussions revolving around patterning, color selection and so forth, but at least some attention should be given to the optional items of equipment, because they can make your life easier and enhance your enjoyment of bead craft in general.

The items I have in mind are:

Fishing Line
Magnifying Glasses
Cord Knotter
Bead Tray

I’ll outline what each of these can do for you as it relates to bead craft below.

Fishing Line – If you’re all out of silk thread and needing to crank out a bead craft project, simple fishing line can be subbed in for the good stuff. Or, if you’re only making a temporary piece and want to save your silk thread for permanent creations, again, fishing line to the rescue! No bead craft toolkit should be without it!

Magnifying Glasses – This handy item will save you both time in all your bead craft projects, and prevent eyestrain by bringing those tiny little pieces-parts into better focus. What’s not to like about that! If you only get one piece of optional bead craft equipment, get these!

Cord Knotter – At around ten bucks, this handy little item is the most expensive of the "optional bead craft equipment,” but well worth the money, especially if you do any work at all with pearls. It assists with knot tying, and helps you get the knots right up against the beads, where you want them to be (this can be a frustrating process when trying to get it right by hand). It might take a bit to get the hang of using it, but once you do, you’ll wonder how you and your bead craft projects got along without it!

Bead Tray – Funny how something as simple as a tray can make such a big difference to your bead craft projects, but it really can! The main advantage of a bead tray is that it comes with grooves for holding beads and the grooves are of standard shapes and sizes! So, when you’re making a necklace, simply play with your pattern on the bead tray, get it just how you want it, and then all your beads are already laid out in the exact pattern. Simply pick ‘em up and string!

Again, while none of the items mentioned here are absolutely essential, you’ll probably find that you enjoy bead craft a good deal more with these time saving devices, and you can pick up the whole set for around $25. A small investment indeed for what they can do to improve your bead craft experience, and the ways in which they can help you execute against your beading ideas!

To find tons of great bead craft ideas, come visit us on our website, http://www.beadcraftideas.com/!