Home | Classroom | Search
Back to Peyote Stitch Starting Page
TESTING YOUR FRINGE
Beaded fringe should have plenty of movement.
It shouldn't, however, be flimsy. It takes practice to create fringe with just the right tension -- not too tight, or it won't drape well; and not too loose, or the thread will show. Theresa Buchan, my first beadwork teacher, taught me to drape each fringe over one finger. If it falls over with no stiffness, it's just right.
Good fringe should be smooth and even on the strand.
This quality is determined by the evenness of the beads and the thickness of the thread.
If the thread is too thin, it won't sufficiently fill the holes inside the beads, and the beads will wobble on the thread, creating an uneven look. To solve this problem, run the thread through the beads again, or rework the fringe using a slightly thicker thread.
If the thread is too heavy, the fringe won't drape well. Sometimes I use a sturdier, heavier thread for the structural body of a piece, then I switch to a thinner thread for the fringe.
If the beads are uneven in shape, they'll hang funny. Choose your beads carefully. It's easier to check for evenness, quality, color and effect when the beads are already strung on a hank. Although tubes and packets of beads are popular, it's hard to tell what they'll really look like in a project.
Sometimes one strand of fringe looks longer or shorter than the others, even though it contains the same number of beads. Avoid this problem by choosing beads of uniform thickness, or solve it by removing one or two beads in the least noticeable part of the pattern. You could also mask the problem by deliberately varying the length of each strand.
Back to Part II: The Fringe | Back to the Starting Page
These instructions, the patterns, and all images are ©1997, Mary J. Tafoya.
Single copies may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial use only.