Are there any beading shops in the South East?

[BogglesAtBiggles]

London/Brighton etc? I’ll need a second mortgage to buy beading stuff at hobbycraft - plus the choice is pants. Thanks!

Amazon?

There's a bead shop in Sydney Street in Brighton.
Try googling.

I think there is/was one in Camden

I’ve been doing beadwork for about 20 years so I hope I can help!

Hobbycraft is extortionate and limited. I’ll dig out some links to shops nearer you.

There are some cracking bead fairs - again will post some links - they are usually a couple of times a year and spread round the U.K.

online there are some really good shops with owners who will advise and guide. What sort of beadwork do you do? Seed beads? Like miyuki or toho type? Glass beads? Embroidery? If you give me a steer I’ll help as much as I can.

https://www.ukbeadfairs.com/

@BogglesAtBiggles this is a list of ONE organiser (there are others, google U.K. bead fairs). The advantage being you have many sellers under one roof. There is one in East Sussex in March.

@BogglesAtBiggles looks as if what was Brighton Bead Shop is now the one mentioned above.

Online, I can recommend (and use) all the following:
Tanzee Designs (Anne the owner is lovely)
Spellbound beads
spoilt rotten beads
Smitten beads (she does some pre-mixed artisan packs which are lovely)
OakTree Crafts
The Bead Shop Nottingham

hopefully these help.

Brilliant! Thanks so much. At the moment I’ve been trying some seed bead stuff (no.11 with 24 gauge wire) so that’s what I’m looking for. I used to do loads of beading about 15 years ago but sadly all the shops I used to go to in London have now closed. I’ll have a look at the online shops @Mykittensmittens suggested - thank you!
@PToosher - I’ll check the Brighton one out online too (hopefully they are still open in RL too!) - nothing like seeing them in person.

i think you’ll be okay with those suggestions. Are you only using wire? I I use fireline, or nymo for my embroidery pieces. I’ll put a picture here of one of my collars… always happy to help if you want to drop me a message.

OMG OMG OMG @Mykittensmittens that is beautiful and SO clever! I’m in awe! I’ve tried wire and thread. I’ve been a complete dingbat so far with thread. I’m an absolute beginner with seed beads - if you can recommend any tutorials for numpties that would be awesome.

Kerrie Berrie in Brighton! I just can't help myself every time I walk past, I just HAVE to go in and buy something 😅

@BogglesAtBiggles thank you. That’s my own freeform design, but if you like that sort of thing look up some books by sherri serafini. I do bead embroidery like that one, I also work with shibori ribbon (go on Pinterest and look up shibori ribbon beadwork), looming and seed bead bits and pieces. I’m also a silversmith, but this is a bit more practical to do in front of the TV in the evening 😂

what do you want to make? Jewellery? 3d beading?

jewellery I’d have a look at books by Diane Fitzgerald. Spellbound beads in Lichfield do and online shop and also have some of their own books in print and sell kits separately to go with them. Some are ideal for beginners.

more upmarket and stunningly beautiful have a look for Isabella Lam. And Sabine Lippert. She has great books, a fab website (I think it’s called trytobead) and sells kits if you want to have a go without having to source individual components which can work out pricey. Most of these Beaders also sell downloadable patterns and sometimes free ones.

if you are on FB I would follow Sabine - she’s very funny - and find a group called ‘U.K. Sead Beaders’ - we are friendly! You’ll find lots and lots of tutorials, advice, free patterns etc.

3d beadwork again Diane Fitzgerald (she has tutorials for amazing beaded flowers) and a U.K. company called threadabead does fun little 3d projects.

more than happy to help if you want further steers!

Just had a look on Sabines website and something like this would be good for a starter as you get everything you need - you buy the kit and the pattern separately. https://www.trytobead.com/en/Patterns-and-Kits/Bracelets/Girls-Just-Wanna-Have-Fun.html

all you’d need extra would be beading needle, thread (Nymo D would work) and a beadmat (which is a fluffy mat thing to put on a tray or tabletop to stop everything rolling about. You’d be able to get those things from the Brighton shop or any of the online places I’ve mentioned.

I’ve been having a go at 3d flowers, my efforts are very simple but I love the effect and the colours available in seed beads are lovely I want to try more, I’ll have a look at Diane’s website and FB. Thanks!

@Mykittensmittens - very disappointing (long) trip to Brighton as KerrieBerrie was inexplicably shut! I just wanted to ask, I tried to make a flower for an earring yesterday but it is a bit floppy to dangle from a earring - my guess is I’m using the wrong thread or I’ve pulled it too tight (crap photos for explanation!) ? Any tips gratefully received! Thanks

lets see what we can do @BogglesAtBiggles

are you using a pattern?

what size of seed beads are those? 11s or bigger (8s maybe?)

for a pattern with thread and seed beads you’ll need to be passing through each bead with the thread many times - this will produce a stiffer result. This pattern looks good?
http://www.katadair.com/huichol-flower

otherwise consider using miyuki seed beads which have a rectangular shape and are smaller by a fraction, but they then sit together very neatly and you can produce designs which I PROMISE are easy to learn and look fabulous. I’ll post some links.

This would be a good idea using regular seed beads and a good practice at peyote stitch (which is a stitch where the beads sit like bricks, and it produces a good, sturdy end result and can be used to make 3d or flat designs)

This is flat peyote and very easy to do - and this pattern would only need you to buy 3 colours in miyuki size 11 seeds. You can see how the regular size makes the pattern sit together nice and neat. You could use the thread you have. https://theartisanduck.com/2022/05/19/peyote-stitch-house-with-heart-tutorial/

if you didn’t know which colours to choose, if you used a supplier like Tanzee designs and messaged the owner, Ann, she would help you find colours that would work.

once you’ve learnt a skill like Peyote stitch you can progress to flat bracelets. Go on Pinterest and put in peyote bracelets and you’ll see there are endless possibilities.

Unfortunately the main shops that I knew in London have either closed or gone online.
another online suggestion: https://www.creativebeadcraft.co.uk/about-creative-beadcraft.asp

Finally - there are hundreds of stitch types (peyote is most popular) but also brick stitch, RAW and more. This is a little pansy made from miyuki size 11s and brick stitch. Once you’ve mastered basic stitches things like this are easy, which is why a book is a very good idea. I’d think you may be able to borrow from a library if you didn’t want to invest.

if you’d rather stick with the rounder seed beads then ‘floral beaded jewellery’ by spellbound beads is a fab book with clear instructions, and they sell kits with the beads for the projects which mean you’re not buying excess beads.

Finally finally…. This is what I mean.

link to the kit: https://www.spellboundbead.co.uk/bp740-bead-pack-for-carmen-necklace.html

the book is also on their site, and you could make a single flower from the pattern into earrings too - they look a lot like the ones you were experimenting with.

shout if you want anything else!

Thank you! I’m going to check out all the links 💐I was using no.11 seed beads rather than miyuki ones. This was the pattern I was following.https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/seed-bead-earrings-4164354 I think I followed the pattern right so still not sure why mine was so bendy whereas theirs lie flat!

Might be worth trawling the charity shops for old beaded necklaces. You can often get ones with multiple strands of tiny beads for super cheap, destring them and use them. Might save a bit of money depending on what you need.

There’s a shop called Peppy Beads near here but hardly ever open (from what I’ve noticed going past on the bus) but there’s a sign up saying you can shop online.