i have been trying to make my first piece of seed bead jewellery, its kind of snowflakes, but each flake has to be made seperatley and then joined together.

my question is how do you finish off a piece - what do you do with the thread - how do you knot it etc?

i've been looking everywhere for the answer and i can't find it. i've read somewhere about half hitch knots but how do you do them?

should i be using glue?

sorry to go on as this is my first piece and i don't want it to fall apart whilst wearing it!!!!!

A half-hitch knot is a very basic knot -

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Leaving the thread on the needle, go back through two or three beads, tie a half-hitch knot round the thread between the next two adjacent beads. Go back through another couple of beads and tie another....repeat as required. If you can weave the end in backwards and forwards a bit in opposite directions so much the better. When you are happy, cut the remaining thread.

I hasten to add that I am a beginner and there may be much better ways but until an expert comes along I hope this helps!!

Glue would be a last resort.... Nemeton is a real expert and she says she never uses glue!!! But that's experts for you....clever people.....

Thats exactly what I would do. The more you can weave it through the better as the tension is then spread.
I am with Nemeton on this one. Don't use glue on those knots.

Oooo no, not glue, yuck! Mind you, I will come clean here, part of the reason I so hate glue is that I am not a precise and tidy person so no matter how careful I am or how small the nozzle, I always get in a mess with it!
Some beaders swear by just weaving in and out and never tie knots at all. That seems to me to be living unnecessarily dangerously and I always tie at least two half-hitch knots (go under the thread between 2 beads, pull to make a little loop, go through the loop, pull tight) then weave through several more beads before trimming the end. Be careful not to put the knots next to any beads that you're going to need to get through again later though...
Designs made with separate components are always a pain because there are so many ends to secure... but on the other hand, it's great practice and you will be an expert by the time it's finished!

thank you very much for your help

i've almost finished it now and i will post a piccie for you all to see my very first attempt

once again many thanks

After knotting I pull the thread back through the piece and cut it somewhere on the other side as well for extra security....

ooh, good question...... I was practicing herringbone the other day, I made a 6 bead across weave and stopped when I had made 20cm as I figured I have proven that I can do it..... my problem was that when starting a new thread and finishing another, the tension in that area was much tighter.

How do I assure that the tension stays the same?

I am using nymo..... I find it ok as long as I don't use a ridiculously long length.

Hi
I do a few knots but if I have a piece which is loosely woven or bigger beads (or really I am just a bit nervous!) I use Fray Check, as it doesn't go everywhere like glue (I dip my needle in it & pull it through a few beads like that)

Regards Vickie