Kid Crafts - Beading for Beginners

Executive Summary by Marcel V

Kid Craft

I loved beading and I made bead animals all the time. After I’ve made some animals, I noticed that I still love beading.

So, let’s make your first kid crafts !
First, you’ll need:

• beads
• wire (or nylon fishing line)
• pattern

Formerly, I used fishing line, because I found it easier to use. And it’s easier to use indeed, because its end won’t kink. However, it has no definite shape. The animal won’t stand on its feet. The wired animals will stand.

If you’re making an animal that has to be round, 3D or plump (like a penguin), always use nylon fishing line, because the wire will be almost completely flat.

I’ve been using seed (small) beads for the body of the animals kid crafts since I started beading. There are also long beads (I don’t know the proper name), use them for wings and sometimes for legs.

Seed Beads:
These are the basic beads that we use for beading. They usually make up the body of an animal kid crafts.

Bigger Beads:
These are much bigger than the seed beads. I usually use them for the eyes of an animal. However, use them whenever you want to highlight something.

Long Beads:
The size of the long beads is between the seed beads and the ‘bigger beads’. I use them for wings, legs and sometimes for some other parts of the animal’s body.

The main animal beading technique is the ‘Back and Forth’ technique. It’s hard to believe that this is the main technique, because it is so simple.

Use this technique to make the body of the bead animals kid crafts (and sometimes the tail of the animals). After you’ve finished the first row, make the second row by doing the same thing again.

Let’s get started!

1. String the beads (usually one, two or three depending on what you are making) on either side of the wire. If you’re beginning a new bead animal string the bead(s) on the center of the wire.
2. Now, loop back with the opposite wire through the beads. If you’re making the first row, then thread one wire around and through the first bead(s)
3. Pull it very tightly. If it is not in the right place (not exactly beside the row before), then bend it until it looks even and lovely.

If you are making an animal kid crafts that should be flat, then push the rows beside each other (and use wire). However, if your animal supposed to be round (3D), pull each row very tightly to make them overlap. If it doesn’t help, then simply put the rows right opposite of each other.

One more thing: do not forget the eyes or any patterns of the animal kid crafts, use different colors for them.

There are many ways to make a leg for the animal kid crafts:

1. Simple straight leg
2. Leg with foot
3. Leg with foot and toes

Simple straight leg

1. String the leg beads on one side of the wire.
2. Loop back with the same wire through the leg leaving out the last bead. Try to avoid kinks on the wire.
3. Hold the leg to the body as near as you can. Pull it very tightly. Do the same on the other side.

Leg with foot

1. String the beads on either wire. For the foot use a different colour.
2. Loop back with the same wire through the leg leaving out the foot.
3. Pull it very tightly. If the wire begins to kink put it straight. Now, do exactly the same on the other side.

Leg with foot and toes

1. String the leg beads (usually 3) and the beads of one toe on either side of the wire.
2. Loop back through the remaining of the toe beads leaving out the last bead. Hold the toe near to the leg and pull it tightly.
3. Now, you’ve finished the first toe. String the beads of the second toe on the same wire.
4. Loop back through the toe beads leaving out the first bead as before.
5. Hold the toe near to the leg and pull it tightly.
6. Do exactly the same with all toes. When you’ve made all of the toes, loop back through the whole leg.
7. Pull it tightly. Do exactly the same on the other side.

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