Zipping Up the Needle Case

Continuing on, from my last post, sharing how I was adding the accent 'liquid silver' bugle beads to the outside panel, I'll show how I secure my accent beads. In the photo below, I centered the bugle bead, between two rows of looming. This way, the bugle bead is very secure and won't 'roll' as it would if I only used one thread and one attach point, to secure. Always think in terms of your bead looming being well used, even under normal handling. Work out ways, in your designs, to secure the accents with more then one thread.


Once the decorations were complete, which is my favorite part..., I cut the beading from the loom, completed my finishing techniques for managing the warps, attached two snaps for a closure and will now begin the 'zip' process.


I want to create a wider case, not so much an 'envelope', to hold my needles. Therefore, I planned, during the looming process, to allow four rows of looming for the base of my case. At this stage, I edge with three beads, 11/0 Toho Permanent Silver Metallic, across the base I want to create. I planned four rows across the base, so this means I can add three edging beads.


Now I can begin the zipping of the sides. I can't use the same 11/0 beads for this because of the size difference with the Delicas I used to loom the case. If I use the Toho beads on the sides, as I did on the edging of the base, they would buckle. The shape and size difference in the Toho and Delicas I used would create this buckling. Therefore, I am using Delicas, in a Metallic Silver. The four loomed rows for the base and the three edge beads on the bottom will equate to using 'five Delica beads' for zipping up the sides.


As I continue up the side, from the base, I will also add a 'stop bead' for each turn of the needle, moving up the next row of loomed beads. I like to use a stop bead because I think it gives the thread a more secure way of holding the sides together. It also hides the turned thread, between the loomed rows.


I'll be wrapping this up and show the finished photos next!