Welcome! Here are some tools and ideas that will help you make your days beading simpler. You may not need these tools right away, but they are handy to have just in case. When I feel the urge to bead, I want to go to my cupboard and take out my beading boxes and start. If I have to go to the store to buy stuff while I'm in the beading mood, I loose that momentum.

Mats

I made my children and I each a bead mat out of a square of black felt glued onto thick cardboard. I choose black because it is easier to see the beads on. White would work too. I glued it to thick cardboard so we can poke a pin into it if you need to hold a project in place, or to poke a needle into when you are not using it. I take a small hand full of the beads I am using and put them on the mat, this way I can easily choose the beads I want. I also have a mat made of cork glued to a small piece of wood. I use this when I am doing macramé jewelry because you need to pin the macramé in place or create tension when doing knots. You can also buy commercially made bead mats at craft stores and bead stores. They have ruler marks printed on them and little troughs to lay your beads in.

Tools

The most important tool to have on hand would be beading needles, especially if you are going to make your project with thread. Beading needles are long, thin and flexible. They have a small ‘eye' which makes it easy to go through the beads. I keep lots on hand. Some bead patterns call for you to use two at a time. Darning type needles can also be used when you are beading with wool or hemp fibers. Darning needles have a large ‘eye' and a blunt point. Always make sure your bead can pass over the eye while thread is in it.

A sharp pair of small pointed scissors helps to cut threads close to the beadwork. A fingernail snip is also useful for cutting the nylon or elastic type threads close.

A measuring tape is always handy to have so you can measure your beadwork, or the width of a wrist for a bracelet, or the length of a string of breads.

If you are going to be using beading wire you will need needle nose pliers, flat nose pliers and small wire cutters. These can be bought at the bead store, craft stores, hardware stores and even some dollar stores. As always, be aware that you will get what you pay for. If you don't want to put out a lot of money until you know this is something you want to do, buy them at the dollar store and they will serve you just fine. Needle nose pliers are used for bending wire in circular shapes. Flat nosed pliers are used to secure crimp beads, help bend wire, or help get a needle through a tight bead! (Glass beads often break when you try this so be careful!) Wire cutters are for just that - cutting wire. Don't use your scissors or nail snip to do this, as you will ruin them.

Other Fun Stuff To Have

I love bead looms. I have a few in different sized for different types of projects. To start just get one from the craft store. You can get inexpensive ones at craft stores that will enable you to make bracelets, chokers straps for bags, or panels that you can sew together to make bags and pouches.

Embroidery hoops are useful when sewing beads onto lightweight fabric. They keep the fabric tight while you are sewing. If I am sewing beads onto stiff fabric, like jeans, I don't use an embroidery hoop because the fabric is easy to handle.

Below is a picture of my daughter working on her bead loom. She designed the pattern on graph paper first

My article on Beading with Kids talks about introducing your children to beading, and doing stuff together as a family

My article on Getting Started with Beading, is an introduction to beading

My article on Beading - what to bead with, talks about the types of beads and stringing materials available.

This hub on how to do beading on a loom is excellent, nice clear instructions with pictures how to do beading on a loom. another wonderful hub by Night Writer is free patterns for loom beading.

Enjoy and happy beading, Jan