We would like to share Mary’s submitted creation with you.
She created a beautiful bag using plastic beads, as you can see above. What’s special is that this is her own design, so she didn’t follow any instructions, but instead created it herself. And she tells us all about it in this blog post.
The start
I’ve made a lot of beadwork by now. I started with stringing and beading, often using inexpensive bead kits, and that’s how I expanded my hobby.
I do this by reading a lot, buying books and magazines, and of course, these days I spend a lot of time on Pinterest. I also buy patterns for necklaces, boxes, and tapestries from Etsy. It’s really diverse, but I’d never designed anything myself. Then I saw beaded bags in all shapes and sizes. For this bag, I used lightweight 6mm plastic beads.
The pattern
There were many different patterns for these beaded bags, and I immediately fell in love with them. So I watched YouTube videos to see how they were made. I saw that they used pearls and nylon thread, and it seemed to go very quickly. So I decided to try my hand at it myself.
I drew a pattern on right-angle weave template paper.
Unfortunately, I didn’t save it, but you can see the template below.
The technique
The technique used to make the bag is Right Angle Weave, also called RAW. I was already familiar with that, so it didn’t seem too difficult. Videos and examples don’t always specify the size of the pearls, and I was completely wrong about that. I thought you’d see gaps between 8 or 10 mm pearls, for example, but that’s not the case. I used 6 mm pearls, and that takes longer than you think. And then you need a lot more.
The dimensions
I started designing my own by drawing it out. I chose a size I thought would be good for a bag, which is as follows:
- The front and the back are 25 x 18 cm
- The bottom is 26 x 6 cm
- The sides are 18 x 6 cm
- The handles are both 32 cm
I added some accents to it as I liked and slightly shaped the sides. In total, it took me about six weeks. Next time, I would use larger beads and calculate how many beads you actually need.
Which wire
Working with nylon thread was a bit of a puzzle for me at first. When attaching and detaching it by threading it in a zigzag pattern through various beads, I wasn’t sure if it would stay in place. Would it be secure enough if I threaded it through here and there? Or should I use some glue? Or maybe add buttons? I’ve tried it all, and I’m definitely happy with it. Otherwise, you’d also see a button with the glue on it. And now I know that just stitching it back in a zigzag pattern is really sufficient. The bag is really sturdy.
Number of beads
I really enjoyed making it, even though it’s quite heavy. I didn’t expect that. In total, I used about 3870 beads. I was quite shocked. That’s also why the videos use larger beads.
But now there’s only one bag like this, and finally something truly my own. With your lovely materials, of course.
And then.. making the pictures of the bag
They look nice and sturdy in the photo, but mine collapsed immediately.
I filled the bag with newspaper to take the photo, but they don’t mention that in the videos, of course. You can add a lining, but I’ll do that another time for the next bag.
I hope you enjoyed reading this!