GetCrafty Craft Facts

Q: I'm making a beaded curtain for a window that's 4 ft. tall, and 5 ft. wide, using smallish seed beads. I want it to be fairly dense; I've figured it will take in the neighborhood of 300 4ft strands to get the effect I want. I'm new to this craft. So far, I've been buying 'Westrim' beads from my local craft store - but it's getting very expensive! Is there anywhere (online, mail-order, wholesale, etc.) that I can buy a large quantity of beads at a reasonable discount?

A: RC, did you get a pattern for making the curtain somewhere or how are you fashioing the curtain? I am new to the bead craft too. I find reading the posts in rec.crafts.beads lots of fun and informative! RC, do you have a web site? I would be very interested in seeing a picture of your beaded curtains. You say you are new to beading. I, too, am curious as to what method you will be using to connect the bead strands together. Are you aware that this will probably (if my estimation of your requirements is correct) use about 9 half kilos or 10 pounds plus hardware. It is certainly no small project. I'm going on a business trip in 2 1/2 weeks to buy "mixed" seed beads and I hope to buy around 100 kilo. These are put together when something goes wrong originally in the process of "hanking" 1/2 kilos (machine runs out of string or whatever) and so are gathered up and combined with another color or colors and are rehanked again. There are some incredible combinations. I use them for knitting bags and of course selling in my store. When ordered you don't know what color you're getting so I'm making a special trip out to pick from approximately 200 different types. I've loved everything they send but just want to pick and choose and I'll also be going to the 'Whole Bead Show' to kill two birds with one stone. What I have been sent so far is 'mostly' all size 11 but there have been incredible mixes also running all the way up to size 6 included in the mix. One was black seeds with about a size 2 bronze bugle! You just never know. Some are really a rainbow of colors. So, to make a long story endless perhaps I could help you. If you do eventually decide to do this with seed beads keep my E-mail addy on the website and I'll tell you how to transfer the strung beads to your final stringing medium (which by the way I am still pondering over what would be best). Will it be near a bathroom's steam/wind/kids/dogs, these are all considerations.