Beaded Cabs

I'm not a big authority, and mostly I just offer common sense. I don't really believe in right answers.

1) I've never used Lucy's stiff stuff so I'm not precisely sure what it is. I've used a stiffer weight of pellon for backing. And I know people who like to use super suede, which is much easier to go through than leather. I can't imagine a needle heavy enough to go through leather and still fine enough for beads.

2) Not sure

3) I don't worry a lot about conditioning my thread. But I only use Nymo from a spool, and I pull at my thread as I work. Also, I always bring my thread of choice when I take a class.

4) And yes, you can, grammatically, peyote a cab.

Tina

Here's what I have done in the past - With e6000 glue, attach some fusible interfacing fuse side up onto an index card. Then glue your cabochon onto the interfacing side of the card. Using a number 11 or 12 English long beading needle, sew your beads (I use a back stitch, 4-6 beads at a time, weaving through my work on occasion to secure it) on around the cabochon (or in whatever design you wish) using conditioned Nymo or Silamide (I use Thread Heaven to condition). Then take some Ultrasuede (polyester, very durable, get it at fabric stores) and glue a piece a little larger than your design to the back of the paper, covering all stitches. Then snip the paper/suede backing close to your design, without accidentally snipping your stitches. (Fingernail clippers work great, getting close to the design without ruining it.) Then do a picot stitch (or whatever you prefer) around the edges, catching both the suede and the paper, weaving through your work to attach all the elements of the design. This I learned a long time ago in a book, but I can't remember the book. :) Hard to describe without pics, but I hope it helps a little!

Thanks, Tina -- I shall go forth and peyote without worrying about the grammar police.

I think I'm going to try some non-woven interfacing I have on hand and see how it does.

conditioning

I've not heard the index card trick before -- sounds interesting.

I can't run down either ultrasuede or Lacy's Stiff Stuff locally, although I've got my eye on some ultrasuede scraps on eBay.

Thanks for the tips --

Elise

accidentally

conditioning

I think it is. It is stiffer than most non-woven interfacings and can reliably be colored, if you want. You don't really need it just to bezel a cab, but if you want to bead out around the cab, you will. Here's some examples:

One beader I know irons craft weight interfacing to a brown paper bag

-- it's thin, inexpensive, and doesn't tear. I like Stiff Stuff, but I also use Ultrasuede. I can bead on a smalls watch of Ultrasuede without using a backing/stiffener while I work, but for a large piece I baste rag paper or something else back there, or put the Ultrasuede into an embroidery frame. Whatever you use should not flop around too much unless you're real good at maintaining your tension in bead embroidery.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who sew on leather, maybe they have their reasons. ;-) LOL

To a necklace? A bail is good. You can also bring your thread from the necklace end and into a picot, then tack it to the beading substrate (whatever material you beaded on), then come back out a picot and back into the necklace. Go up a ways, then turn around and come back, reinforcing through a different picot and taking another tack into something sturdy. This way the picot itself is not bearing the weight of the beaded cab. If it is, it can pull out, break, look bad after awhile, etc. Don't reinforce the picots, take more tacks into the substrate and connect to the necklace through as many places as possible (close together of course).

Not all threads need stretching and conditioning. Not all projects & stitches need the thread stretched and conditioned. I use Nymo often in bead embroidery (it's easier to undo stitches than with Silamide), but not for weight bearing pieces unless it's a stitch that's reinforced like crazy.

Whatever floats your boat. ;-)

Mary T. 8-)

Aunt Molly's Bead Street

and JustBeads: seriousbeader

I tried to bead around a cab glued to leather, and gave up. What I plan to try is to pierce the leather with an empty sewing machine needle and try again.

I've worked the necklace strands into the peyote around the back of the cab back to strengthen it, going back and forth several times.

I usually use Nymo, and have found that it doesn't curl and knot as much if you condition it.

Lots of ppl do!

I've found it easier to work with beaded cabs if you completely surround them with peyote, front and back, like a "frame", instead of gluing a backing on. For free instructions, adapted from Red Ventlings, check out this link:

Gorgeous! I love the moonrise.

Elise

Thanks, Karleen -- great tutorial. I'm going to try it that way with my next one.

Elise

Thanks, Mary -- I was planning to attach to the picot and reinforce the picot several times. Now I know better!

Elise

You probably do more cabs than I do, but I think the extra cost is worth it. I'm generally working with a fairly small piece, so the cost per item isn't that bad.

On the one cab I did I used a scrap of suede. The beading needle didn't want to go through the suede at all so I ended up using a "between" size 12. This is a quilting needle. They usually are pretty strong.

Karen O

Marilee, I also use it for bead embroidery (without cabs), and I just love that I don't have to prep the material. While it may be more expensive than other alternatives, it's totally worth it to me. And the cost of that material is way less than the beads I'm stitching to it. ;-)

Mary T. 8-)

Aunt Molly's Bead Street

and JustBeads: seriousbeader

Elise, if you reinforce the picot, you might not have room to attach the strap. So, the theory is to attach the strap and reinforce at the same time, anchoring into something more stable than the picot.