Bridey's Beads - Exquisite Handcrafted Beadwork

Bridey's Main Page - Vintage Beads for Sale - Patterns - Gallery of Loom Work - Gallery of Earrings
Vintage Beadwork Patterns
"Make your own pattern" section-- click on the image to see a detailed scan of these gorgeous old crocheted purses.  Believe it or not, these were constructed by stringing the precise number of each color of beads onto a thread first.  But you could adapt them to loomwork or needlework as well.  Enjoy!
Vintage Master/Slave Purse
Vintage Sultan purse
Knitted seeds and charlottes in size 20/0
French Steel Beaded Purse
French Steel Purse with 4 different type of metal beads.  Woven.
Old floral purse
Floral purse - Knitted seeds, charlottes and faceted French brass beads sizes 18/0-20/0
Peacock beaded purse
Peacock purse
Vintage beads
Old Pattern Books

I enjoy collecting the instructions for old beadwork, particularly old purses.  Follow these links for scans of these old books:

  Emma Post Barbour's "New Bead Book", 1924

  Virginia Snow's "Authority on Bead Bags, Necklaces, Etc", 1926

Apache Beadwork Apache Beadwork: Instructions and Designs

  Sophie T. La Croix's "Old and New Designs in Bead Work"
 

If you recreate any of these designs, I'd love to put your work on my site!


Cigar Case pattern from Godey's Magazine, 1867

Cigar Case 1867


Here's a lovely pattern from a loomed Victorian belt.
The original is beaded in 11/0 jet black seed beads and approx. 12/0 French steel cuts (faceted):

Intertwining leaves pattern


Last modified 18 March 2002
Carrie E. Bodensteiner - Brideys Beads
bodenst@kichline.com