New and help needed!

[Tanya]

Hi all

Have just started looking into jewellery making particularly in the areas of beading/pendants etc and was wondering if anyone could help.

Initially I have been looking through Ebay and found some good stuff to make a start. But, what I need to know is which clamps, findings etc go with which material ie, suede thong cord, tiger tail, wire etc. Also which is best to thread seed beeds?

I know i'm jumping into this blind but i'm not new to crafting completely just this area and I pretty much jump in every time and then work it out for myself!!!

Just to add to that, are there any good websites where I can get basic starter info etc? (Off to buy a few books at the weekend but being impatient!)

Thanks for helping!

Tanya

[Peter]

Hi Tanya, welcome to the forum. The best advice I can give you about beading is - don't rush it! It's a minefield out there! http://beadwork.about.com is a good place to start, you might want to look at http://www.beadwrangler.com for info on tools, threads, etc. I've found that if I want to find out anything specific, I just google it - something usually comes up! Don't get confused between beadstringing and beadweaving, I did, which meant when I started weaving I knew a lot less than I thought I did!
Have fun, but take it a step at a time - you can't make it up as you go, I tried. :D

[Lou]

Hi Tanya,
The first book I ever bought to get me started with beading was 'The basics of Bead Stringing' (I think I bought it from Amazon) I found it incredibly helpful and still refer back to it now when my memory fails me ;)

http://www.ilovebeads.co.uk/ offer some great tips & tricks and some helpful links.
:)
Lou