Bead Looms

Q: Please check out Virginia Blakelock's book "Those Bad, Bad Beads". It has great tips for looming, off loom techniques, and how to make your own loom, any size you want. All you need is wood, springs, and nails. If you haven't seen Virginia's work, seek it out. It is truely inspiring.

A: Virginia Blakelock's video is great as well. You can watch her and listen to her as she does an actual piece. From the selection of equipment, to stringing of the loom, to working with the beads. She covers everything very, very well. Truly inspiring! Bead and Button issue # 8 shows Rosemary's Beadsmith loom and how to make a hatband. I bought Rosemary's loom but had to modify it by nailing in a spring to space the warp threads and also additional wing nuts so I could keep the tension on the warp threads. Her idea of using a string of beads as a spacer did not work well for me. And the loom kept opening up and the warp threads became saggy while beading because she does not provide any nuts or wing nuts to tighten against. Once fixed, it is a fine loom. You can remove the work from the loom for checking the length on the hat and put it back on.