How to Create a Bead Loom Pattern
Beaded jewelry has been created by many cultures around the world for thousands of years. Early Native Americans were introduced to glass beads by Europeans during the seventeenth century. The Native Americans quickly began to collect these glass beads, often trading pelts for more beads to add to their collections. These glass beads were used to decorate clothing, weapons, vessels and tools. During the early twentieth century, tourists began to take interest in Native American bead art. To accommodate this new interest, Native Americans began to create beaded items that would be made available for sale to the tourists. Today, beading on looms continues to be an enjoyable hobby for many people.
- Graph paper
- Colored pencils
- Pencil
Show More
Instructions
-
-
1
Estimate the desired size of your finished piece. Lay the beads on a flat surface and count them to determine how many are needed to accommodate the desired width of your piece. A bracelet or necklace will naturally need to be long in length and thin in width, while a wall hanging can have wider dimensions.
-
2
Make a mark, using your pencil, onto each cell of the graph paper that will be used to create your design. Keep in mind that each cell on the graph paper represents one bead.
-
-
3
Select the colored pencils that will most match the colors of the beads that you intend to use in your beaded item. Color the cells that represent the beads with the colored pencils, coloring the cells in the same colors as the beads that you intend to use. Refer to the finished pattern as you bead on the loom.