Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-23
THE BIADWORK CRAZE
Not Over Yet, So New Designs
rare Made.
A VARIETY OF USES
GENERATIONS OF WOMEN HAVE
LIKED BEAD WEAVING.
Modern Looms Turn. Out Pretty Things.
for Wear and
Use.
A VARIETY OF USES

| use.
1 Written for The Evening Star.
One of the charming REVEALS of the day
in womans work is that of bead weaving.
Little hand looms are again set up and
modern maidens are rivaling Penelope in
the skillful art of weaving exquisite articles
fashioned from fascinating bits of glass.
| Beadworking is perhaps one of the Oldest
| Of the decorative crafts. Those who are
| learned in such matters tell US that more
than 1.500 years before the Christian era
| beads of vitreous paste-that is to say. of
| a rough semi-opaque glassware made in
| Egypt, and that even before then beads of
pierced and colored stones were in general
| use.
All countries have contributed designs
| from the orient, where color reigns
preme. to our own plains. where the patient
| Indian women told their life story in woven
beads as well as in blankets and baskets
Our own foremothers for many genera
| tions were adopts in this art and beautiful
| articles of beadwork now extant owe
to their indefatigab1e fingers. 1t seems to
| have been a "genteer' occupation for young
| ladies in Thackerays time, and we all re-
member that the obstreperous. Becky Sharp
was making green purse when introduced
| to her victim, Jos Sedley Well, the fad
has broken out anew, and the modern
] should rival even the older bead produc-
| TONS as we have not alone the advantage
of their experience. but better materials to
| work upon.
English and American beads have never
been good in quality. They have always
parency of those coming from Bohemia:
| consequently all the best beads used at the
| present time are imported.
There are number Of different ways in
4 h0 rlya1 s,Nf0 ~l>;o
| or use and beauty. When made up into
| fobs. chains, etc., they are strung on wire
| or violin strings or strong silk thread. In
other instances the beads are knitted with
| knitting SILK to the shape required to fit
| pox, needle case or whatever the article
may be and glued on over the wooden
FORMS. An easier way when fiat articles
| are TO be manufactured Is to sew the beads
| In pattern on fine canvas.
Can Be Home Made.
But the ancient loom appeals as modus
operandi toIthe modern faddist. This loom
Is simple thing to make, and may be con-
structed athone with slight expense.
| Get smooth piece OF wood 80 by s inches
| ana quarter Of an inch thick An inch
from each end mbunt blocks of wood one
EaiI an men wide, one inch deep and as long
as the original piece is wide Hammer into
t pes >, wooden blocks fifteen small nails.
W. them .! IN only deep enough to hold we'll.
1 q %
an men beioW the first row has been placed
IN position the loom is ready for work.
| f1hHow to Proceed.
II a belt Or fat chain is the object of
| the workeSs interest. machine twist. size
| u is carried back and forth over the loom
| ahtii theoTeqaired number of strands is
woven on. String beads according to the
demands OF the design On sewing silk and
! carry D0tn. peads and silk underneath the
strands, pushing Ahead up between each
strand sia me eyes of the beads in this posi-
loh are ABOVE the! strands. Two needles
are used lin weaving going through each
pead from the upper and under sides Care
| must De taken not to allow the thread in
the needles to become too short before
| fastening. and good way to finish Off is To
run back and forth two or three rows.
| When making belts the strands are allow
60 Two inches longer than actual waist
measurement to allow for turning in at
the ends. $50
| very pretty coIoring for belt is white
with small blocks of light blue and outer
| diamond markings of black, a second row
| yellow. a third black and the diamond HIGHT
| blue and green. In the second arrange
| ment or the pattern farther down the belt
have the half diamonds opposite each other
| OF contrasting blue and green. For a belt
| OF this description one large bunch of white
| beads for the background and a half bunch
each Of the other colors are required.
A Roman Chain.
Dainty chains in which Roman colors are
| introduced when made two yards long are
| attractive as muff or fan supporters
The winter beadworker Is carrying out
another charming idea in making sets of
beads for summer wear. consisting of belt,
| fob and fan chain all to match.
The college girl is not behind in the bead
| fad either. and she Is to be found busily at
| work during cuts making a belt In the
| colors of her alma mater, with class
| motto woven in with another shade
two-yard pearl necklace Is a lovely
| possession and dainty addition to an
| evening toilet: To fashion this you require
| fifty half-inch oval pearl beads and $50
| seed pearls They are strung on waxed
| linen thread or violin string. First nut on
| one large pearl, then five small seed ones
| and so on down the string. The tassel is
made up of 1872 small pearls in loops of
| fourteen. At the top of the tassel are
| placed two large pearls, one below the
other, and under these come the long loops
| Venetian necklaces also very attrac-
| tive in shadings of turquoise blue and iri-
| descent white. Double chains are rather
| more difficult to make than the SINGLE
| There are two methods of stringing the
double kind. One is to use double thread
| through all the large beads. then thread
| the small sections separate needles and
| unite with the larger beads. The other
| way is to go around the entire necklace
with single thread and finish one end
| with a tassel, then thread the inner line
and finish like the other with a second tas-
sell
Other Pretty Things.
! Purses. table tops and even knife ham
dies and bonbon boxes are charming in
| beadworls fbut as one becomes interested in
| the art other articles will suggest them
| selves. afi So
In selecting the colorings for the bead
| designs the aim should be to have the tom
| ing either soft and harmonious or artisti-
| caIly barbarous.
Cotton Thread Has a History.