Not too long ago I wrote a Review of the Clover Bead Loom and in it I said that I’d always admired beadwork but that I was intimidated because of the intricate designs.

If I had known how relatively easy weaving on a loom could be I would have checked it out sooner. But then, the Clover Bead Loom Kits make it easy to get started with bead weaving.

 

 

Here is what the kits include – instructions along with a stitching guide, beads, and a pin back for the particular project.

Kits do not include a long beading needle so you’ll want to make sure to have one or two of those on hand.

I did break the longest needle I was sent so make sure to have more than one on hand.

 

 

 

I was a little excited to get started on the project soI made a mistake when I set up this loom and did not do continuous warp threads.  In my defense the directions say “Wrap the warp threads” and I guess I didn’t quite know what that meant.

Now I know. And so do you.

The downside to having so many threads that are loose in the end is the time it takes to weave all of those ends into your work. It also adds some bulk to the finished piece. Otherwise, the project turned out well.

 

 

I beaded two kits just to get a good idea of how well the kits are put together.

The beading charts are really easy and work up just like counted cross stitch. Each square in the pattern equals one bead.

I used a strip of bright paper to keep track of what row I was working on.

 

 

 

 

There are plenty of beads in the kits. This is how many beads I had left over after working the Emblem Brooch.

The small amount of beads out of the packaging on the bead mat are the ones I found that were misshaped or defective in some way. Not very many.

 

 

The brooch kits come with the brooch pin to be stitched to the finished work.

 

 

And here is the Tulip Brooch kit worked up.

The fringe was easy to make but I have to say that I didn’t quite understand the directions for stitching the finished beaded portion to the brooch. Even with photos I couldn’t quite figure it out so I did it my own way and it looks good.

 

The take away?

• The kits are easy to work up but don’t lose the instructions that come with the bead loom itself if you are new to bead looms. The instructions in the kits do not explain the very beginning steps, you’ll have to refer back to the instructions that came with the loom.
• While the kits are pretty easy to work up they are time consuming, I probably have about 16 hours of work in the two kits, but that’s OK. Not all projects need to be quick.
• I found the beads to be of good quality with very little waste.
• I love the two projects I made. The artwork I’ve seen for the available kits is nice.

So if you’ve been wanting to get into beadweaving but haven’t been sure where to start I highly recommend the Clover Beading Loom and kits. And I would definitely start with a square pattern as it’s a little easier for a first time project.

 

 

This is an affiliate link and purchases made by clicking on this link may result in my being compensated by amazon.com.