Beaded Cabs

"EL" wrote in message ...
I just took a class on beading cabochons. It was not, I fear, very well
taught, and left me with a bunch of questions.

Question 1 is about backing. The directions I have always read said to glue
your cab to Lacy's Stiff Stuff. We just glued ours to leather, which was a
bit hard to sew through, then just glued another scrap of leather on top of
that to cover up the stitch lines. This resulted in a fairly thick, fairly
bumpy back since the leather had been wadded up in a bag. I'm assuming
Lacy's Stiff Stuff would have been easier and neater for the first layer,
but I'm also wondering if any non-wover interfacing would do as well?

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

Question 2 is about making a bale. We peyote'd a bail directly off the top
of the cab, which I didn't much like. I've taken my off, put a picot around
the edge of the whole thing (and peyote'd around much of the back to cover
up most of the bumpy ugly leather). I'm probably going to reinforce the two
top picots and come off them to attach to a necklace. How do you attach a
beaded cab?

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).

Question 3 is about thread. This is the second class I've taken where the
teacher didn't bother to either condition or stretch her thread (Nymo --
sorry, Sooz) before beginning. I am pretty compulsive about conditioning
and stretching. Is this just a matter of preference? Or is there a reason
I go through my stretching and conditioning rituals?

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.

Question 4 is for the Grammar Curmudgeons amongst us: Can I use peyote as a
verb?

Whatever floats your boat. ;-)

Mary T. 8-)

Aunt Molly's Bead Street
http://www.flash.net/~mjtafoya/
eBay and JustBeads: seriousbeader

Question 1 is about backing.

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.

Question 2 is about making a bale.

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.

Question 3 is about thread.

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

Question 4 is for the Grammar Curmudgeons amongst us: Can I use peyote as
a verb?

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:

http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry.../beadedcab.htm
HTH
--
Karleen Page/Vibrant Jewels
http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
JustBead Auctions
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
PayPal Merchant Account
https://www.paypal.com/mrb/pal=7XJ98L86Z7S2C

Gorgeous! I love the moonrise.

Elise

--
This is a post-only address.
Send replies to e_lewis AT bellsouth DOT net
(with the obvious corrections)
"Marilee J. Layman" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 16:34:39 -0400, "EL"
wrote:

The one in Beadwork is attached to a brickstich base, which is kinda
neat.

But my real question about backing is whether or not Lacy's Stiff Stuff
is
worth ordering, since I can't find it locally and since it seems to be so
highly recommended in most sets of directions I've read.

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:

http://nyahnyah.basicbali.com/heartcab.jpg

http://nyahnyah.basicbali.com/moonrise.jpg

http://nyahnyah.basicbali.com/mothchld.jpg

--
Marilee J. Layman
Handmade Bali Sterling Beads at Wholesale
http://www.basicbali.com

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

Elise

--
This is a post-only address.
Send replies to e_lewis AT bellsouth DOT net
(with the obvious corrections)
"Karleen/Vibrant Jewels" wrote in
message hlink.net...
Question 1 is about backing.

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.

Question 2 is about making a bale.

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.

Question 3 is about thread.

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

Question 4 is for the Grammar Curmudgeons amongst us: Can I use peyote
as
a verb?

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:

http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry.../beadedcab.htm
HTH
--
Karleen Page/Vibrant Jewels
http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
JustBead Auctions
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
PayPal Merchant Account
https://www.paypal.com/mrb/pal=7XJ98L86Z7S2C

uppies (Dr. Sooz) wrote in message ...
But my real question about backing is whether or not Lacy's Stiff Stuff is
worth ordering, since I can't find it locally and since it seems to be so
highly recommended in most sets of directions I've read.

No. Because -- 1) too expensive, and 2) Pellon interfacing is basically the
same.

Nooooooo to reason number two. The Stiff Stuff is much thicker. It
doesn't flop around when you work with it. They aren't the same
product at all. Pellon is.....an interfacing. It's built to be
flexible but not tear.

Reason number one is true though.

Mary T. 8-)

Aunt Molly's Bead Street
http://www.flash.net/~mjtafoya/
eBay and JustBeads: seriousbeader

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

Elise

--
This is a post-only address.
Send replies to e_lewis AT bellsouth DOT net
(with the obvious corrections)
"Mary Tafoya" wrote in message
m...
"EL" wrote in message
...
I just took a class on beading cabochons. It was not, I fear, very well
taught, and left me with a bunch of questions.

Question 1 is about backing. The directions I have always read said to
glue
your cab to Lacy's Stiff Stuff. We just glued ours to leather, which
was a
bit hard to sew through, then just glued another scrap of leather on top
of
that to cover up the stitch lines. This resulted in a fairly thick,
fairly
bumpy back since the leather had been wadded up in a bag. I'm assuming
Lacy's Stiff Stuff would have been easier and neater for the first
layer,
but I'm also wondering if any non-wover interfacing would do as well?

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

Question 2 is about making a bale. We peyote'd a bail directly off the
top
of the cab, which I didn't much like. I've taken my off, put a picot
around
the edge of the whole thing (and peyote'd around much of the back to
cover
up most of the bumpy ugly leather). I'm probably going to reinforce the
two
top picots and come off them to attach to a necklace. How do you attach
a
beaded cab?

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).

Question 3 is about thread. This is the second class I've taken where
the
teacher didn't bother to either condition or stretch her thread (Nymo --
sorry, Sooz) before beginning. I am pretty compulsive about
conditioning
and stretching. Is this just a matter of preference? Or is there a
reason
I go through my stretching and conditioning rituals?

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.

Question 4 is for the Grammar Curmudgeons amongst us: Can I use peyote
as a
verb?

Whatever floats your boat. ;-)

Mary T. 8-)

Aunt Molly's Bead Street
http://www.flash.net/~mjtafoya/
eBay and JustBeads: seriousbeader

On 29 Sep 2003 06:29:32 -0700, (Mary Tafoya)
wrote:

(Dr. Sooz) wrote in message ...
But my real question about backing is whether or not Lacy's Stiff Stuff is
worth ordering, since I can't find it locally and since it seems to be so
highly recommended in most sets of directions I've read.

No. Because -- 1) too expensive, and 2) Pellon interfacing is basically the
same.

Nooooooo to reason number two. The Stiff Stuff is much thicker. It
doesn't flop around when you work with it. They aren't the same
product at all. Pellon is.....an interfacing. It's built to be
flexible but not tear.

Reason number one is true though.

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.

--
Marilee J. Layman
Handmade Bali Sterling Beads at Wholesale
http://www.basicbali.com

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


On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 04:50:15 GMT, in rec.crafts.beads,
"Karleen/Vibrant Jewels" wrote:

Question 1 is about backing.

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.

Marilee J. Layman wrote in message . ..
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.

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
http://www.flash.net/~mjtafoya/
eBay and JustBeads: seriousbeader

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

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.
--picture me saying this like Pikachu, lol

Mary T. 8-)

Aunt Molly's Bead Street
http://www.flash.net/~mjtafoya
eBay and JustBeads: seriousbeader