Beading on Leather question

[Armando]

I'm pretty new to beading on stuff but have read what I can and watched some videos.

I want to just bead a basic pattern on a pouch flap but I think the leather is to soft, thin and supple to do what I believe is called "lazy stitch" on them. This stitch doesn't go all the way through the leather but only on the top surface. I believe with this thin leather the stitching wouldn't hold?

Should I just punch holes and run my beading that way?

 

[Treestalker]

Just my honest opinion. I would apply the beadwork on to a separate piece of thin leather an sew it onto the flap of the pouch. That way you have a double thickness of leather and no exposed stitches from the beads.

 

[Artificer]

Armando,

I have a belt pouch made of commercial tanned buckskin with lines of "lazy stitch" beads that form geometric patterns and that were attached the way you mentioned. That was done for me in the mid 70's and with a decade of hard use, only one stitch didn't hold in beaded patterns. I corrected that by going a bit deeper into the skin, though not completely through the leather.

Gus

 

[Armando]

Armando,

I have a belt pouch made of commercial tanned buckskin with lines of "lazy stitch" beads that form geometric patterns and that were attached the way you mentioned. That was done for me in the mid 70's and with a decade of hard use, only one stitch didn't hold in beaded patterns. I corrected that by going a bit deeper into the skin, though not completely through the leather.

Gus

How can I match the beading thread to a needle? I ordered some thread and #12 needles and could not even thread the needle (also the eye was so small I needed a magnifying glass! My eyesight must be failing faster than I thought)

 

[Artificer]

How can I match the beading thread to a needle? I ordered some thread and #12 needles and could not even thread the needle (also the eye was so small I needed a magnifying glass! My eyesight must be failing faster than I thought)

Unfortunately, I can't help much here. The beading was done by my ex-wife in the late 70's and she left the needles, thread and beads when she left, so I'm not sure where she got them.

I suggest contacting some sutlers who sell the seed beads or pony beads (depending on what size you are using) and ask them about the correct needles and thread for them.

Gus

 

[Nyckname]

Forty years ago, there would've been a good chance she got them at Tandy Leather.

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

the buttoned bag is the thinist leather; beads were done on a loom and then sewn onto the flap with a lazy stitch ( through the top layer of leather) technique.

Shirt is lazy stitched doing 4 to 6 beads at a time and go back through the whole row when complete. Smoke
bag sewn through the thread holes 3 beads at a time

 

[Shannon Plott]

I had the same issue with needle and thread too big. I found a local bead store and asked the lady at the counter to match them up for me. She couldn't believe I was buying for myself not my wife but she was glad to help. Where are you located? Maybe you have a store close to you

 

[Armando]

I had the same issue with needle and thread too big. I found a local bead store and asked the lady at the counter to match them up for me. She couldn't believe I was buying for myself not my wife but she was glad to help. Where are you located? Maybe you have a store close to you

I'm in Western North Carolina. Will have to find a bead store which I might be able to in the local hippie-haven of Asheville.

Thanks for the idea!

 

[Shannon Plott]

Are you part of French broad rifles? I may have met you at a shoot over there. I'm in Cherokee. I will have to look tomorrow and can tell you what sizes they gave me.

 

[Shannon Plott]

#12 sharps needle and size 0 beading thread is what I have. Thread fits nicely in the small eye of the sharps needles. Hope this helps

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

Beading needle sizes and the thread sizes are pretty much determined by the size of the hole in the bead. When going to purchase the needles, it helps to have the size and type of beads being sewn. Take a few beads if you don't have the size info handy. Just an FYI note.

 

[Armando]

So once I finish making a bead strip on the loom, how do I attach it to some backing so I can sew it onto a strap?

 

[Armando]

Are you part of French broad rifles? I may have met you at a shoot over there. I'm in Cherokee. I will have to look tomorrow and can tell you what sizes they gave me.

Yup
That's me! I plan to be at one of the March shoots. I can't always be there because I'm either working on Sat or playing Uber to my boys activities.

 

[Shannon Plott]

Yup
That's me! I plan to be at one of the March shoots. I can't always be there because I'm either working on Sat or playing Uber to my boys activities.

I know the feeling. Hoping to be there sometime this month as well.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Armando,
You might write to Cathy Smith out at the Nambe Trading Post outside of Santa Fe. She's the Curator there and she knows as much about beading and quillwork as anybody I've met. You can find her e-mail address if you Google her name or the Trading Post.
Tanglefoot

 

[Mad L]

Way late here but maybe someone else may ask later.
I am about to try beading myself so had to learn: SEED BEADS
Generally you will be working with size 10 or 11 (also listed as 10/0 and 11/0). There are even smaller but that's another story. Generally any larger and they are Pony Beads, Padre Beads, etc. Just think; Larger the number = Smaller the bead.

For #10,#11 Seed beads you will want for needle: Sharps Beading Needle size 10 or 11 (size denotes the smallest bead it will go through).
There are 'Short' and 'Long' needles, short for sewing onto material and long for loom beading.

For thread, you wand Size D for #10 & 11 beads.
Recommend is nylon beading thread or silk to stand up to wear and tear, linen won't last long, sinew Great too if you know how to use it (will need a Lot for large projects!).

Crazy Crow and The Wandering Bull usually have all you need but I found they only carry White thread, if you want Brown, Ash, or a more suitable color to blend in you need to look elsewhere; I found a place called Fire Mountain that has various colors of thread and the needles, but don't like their beads.

Now on Beads: avoid Japanese beads (they come by a few different names, do a little research) and stay Away from China beads (they are trash and do not even look HC).
Go with Czech seed beads, if you can find them there are limited supplies of French and German seed beads no longer made (see Crazy Crow and The Wandering Bull).

The Wandering Bull and others have some good sewing video tutorials.

 

[Polecat_Tom]

I do a lot of beadwork on deer hide that is between 1/32" and 1/16" thick. I do both lazy stich and applique. Generally you shouldn't have much trouble going clear through the leather. Another good source for beads and supplies is Shipwreck Beads.
Here is a coat that I beaded during the lockdown.

 

[tenngun]

Some of mine on braintan. It’s back from my Tandy Golden Buckskin Brigade days. A belt bag for my strike a light kit. It was used hard before it became a wall hanger. From and back with waxed linen thread, doubled thread. I pull a fathom through the needle and have a yard to sew with

 

[Notchy Bob]

Wandering Bull has needle threaders that work very well. Another technique I have used for threading the needle is to wax th thread heavily, cut it, then flatten the cut end with your fingernail against a smooth, hard surface. The end will flatten and spread like a fish tail, and the wax makes it stiffer a helps it keep that shape without fraying. The flattened end is a lot easier to get through the eye of the needle. It works for me.

Notchy Bob