Question:
Quite a long time ago.. or at least it seems like forever since I saw these
purses last, my father returned from a trip to the old family farm where my
grandfather had grown up, with a steamer trunk full of goodies. Among the
treasures were high button shoes, a button hook, a tortoise shell comb, and
two of the most beautifully made beaded bags. The one that I can remember
well was black with roses and leaves. The entire surface of the bag was
beads, it felt heavy and delicious. There was a drawstring of black silky
threads. I have to guess that these bags were used in the late 1800s since
all the objects were from that time too.
I think one bag remained with my father and the other went with my sister.
I dont have access to either now. Some insane part of me.. ok. .the
adventurous part... keeps insisting that I can kind of recreate the rose
purse, but I need help. Does anyone here have a clue how this sort of work
was done? Is it likely it was done on a loom? The charting of the rose
doesnt intimidate me, I have charted roses from loads of needlework projects
already. What type of beads would have been used in that era? The surface
felt smooth and lovely and even, does that give you a clue? Perhaps there is
a link somewhere that one of you could share that might tell me more about
my quest?
Answer:
There is a book by Don Pierce titled "Beading on a Loom". It covers
history, making a loom and techniques of beadweaving and has some wonderful
pictures as well as chart pages for the different size beads ie:#11, 12, 15
& delicas.
I bought mine through "Crafters Choice book club @$17.95 +S&H. It retails at
$21.95. If you are interested in this book you might try
http://www.Amazon.com to check if they have a better price or a used copy.
Also there are places on the internet to find info on how-to's and free
patterns. Try this link http://beadwork.about.com/cs/patternsloom/ for more
info & links on beading.
A good source for beads & supplies is Fire Mountain Gems. A link for books
& looms is: http://www.firemountaingems.com/search.asp?SKW=bead+loom. This
supplier offers quantity discounts and a free catalog. Most of what they
sell is related to beaded jewelry, but they have a wide assortment of glass
seed & japanese glass delica & miyuki beads. They sell some purse frames,
but are only in their print catalog. (At least I haven't been able to get
them up on the site.) If you are interested in antique repro purse frames
you may find something at http://www.baglady.com/ &
http://www.lacis.com/catalog/beadbag.html. Lacis also sells Czech seed
beads, books & looms.
If you want to explore antique purses & frames there are many websites you
can visit. Do a search for "beaded bags" on any search engine. If you want
to explore some of the antique purses & frames e-bay is a good place. Most
people selling antique purses supply detailed pics and descriptions which
can give you accurate info for the project you have in mind.
Chances are that the purses you mention were made with glass seed beads.
There are now the japanese delica beads which are more uniform in size &
larger hole size that makes beading easier, however they are more expensive
than standard seeds. Other types of beads that were used for antique purses
were cut steel and marcasite. Some purses were knitted or crocheted with
glass beads as well. But the ones with detailed pictures were done on
looms.
