A subject not much discussed in articles about bead craft is what I like to all "optional equipment." Understandably, most of the articles on beading ideas concentrate on the beading projects, or the beads themselves and many discussions revolving around patterning, color selection and so forth, but at least a few concentration should be given to the optional items of equipment, as they can make your life simpler and enrich 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 described below.
Fishing Line - If you are 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 are only making a temporary piece and wish to save your silk thread for permanent creations, yet again, fishing line to the rescue! No bead craft toolkit should be without it!
Magnifying Glasses - This handy item will save you both time (reducing the time spent turning your beading ideas into truth), and prevent eyestrain by bringing those very small, little pieces-parts into better focus. What's not to like about that! If you only get one piece of optional bead craft tools, get it!
Cord Knotter - At around 10 bucks, this handy little item is the most expensive of the "optional bead craft equipment," but well value the money, specially 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 wish them to be (this could be an annoying 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 will wonder how you & your bead craft projects got along without it!
Bead Tray - Funny how something as simple as a tray can make this type of huge difference to your bead craft projects, but it truly can! The main advantage of a bead tray is that it comes with grooves for holding beads and the grooves are of regular shapes and sizes! So, while you're making a necklace, simply play with your pattern on the bead tray, get it exactly how you want it, and then all of your beads are already laid out in the exact pattern. Only pick 'em up and string!
Again, while none of the items mentioned here are absolutely essential, you will possibly find that you enjoy bead craft a good deal more with these time saving devices, and you can pick up the full set for about $25. A little 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!
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