Tin thread resources

Tin thread bracelets are a search query that keeps popping up in my blog stats. I've also received several e-mails about where to buy tin thread (or pewter thread if you prefer) as it's not readily available outside Scandinavia. So for some time I've been thinking about writing an article with resources concerning this type of jewellery. And why then not do it already today? I did and here it is -- all about tin thread in english.

What is tin thread?

Tin thread or pewter thread is a gimp, that is a core around which fiber or fine metal wire is wound. In this case it's a fine silver-tin wire spun around a cotton core. There are also gold-plated thread aswell as copper and enamelled copper threads available today.

Metal threads made like this were common throughout Europe since the Middle Ages, but mostly they were made using precious metal. In Scandinavia, where gold and silver threads were used, it seems like the Sami where the only ones making tin thread. Originally reindeer sinew was used as a core, but nowadays a textile core is used. While the threads can now be made with machines, some sami artisans still make their own tin thread by hand.

The thread come in different sizes and to make it complicated, the width measurement is often based on the thickness of the core, which determines the width of the finished thread, not the whole tin thread. If the thread is said to be 0,3 mm then it will in fact be about 0,7-0,8 mm. 0,35 mm tin thread is 0,9-1,0 mm thick and 0,4 mm thread is 1,05-1,15 mm in diameter.

What's the history behind sami tin thread bracelets?

Tin thread has been used in traditional Sami embroidery since at least the Middle Ages. Nowadays it's mostly used in bracelets and jewellery where tin thread braids are stitched onto reindeer hide. The jewellery is often called a traditional Sami handicraft, but isn't as old as the embroidery. It was most likely first made for the tourists that began to holiday in the northerns mountains around the early 1900's. In Sweden this type of jewellery, mostly bracelets, is made by non-Sami and Sami crafters alike.

Making these bracelets was popular when I was a kid (80's, early 90's). I also think it had a certain rise in popularity during the 70's as well, when all things traditional craft where in vogue, but I'm to young to know that for sure. Some years years ago tin thread braiding again became popular, but this time it was more about colours. Instead of just natural or dark brown or black dyed hides, craft stores began selling dyed and patterned strips of hide. And there was also a wide variety of colours in the threads, not just the traditional tin threads, but enamelled spun copper threads. The "tin thead bracelet trend" seem to be constantly evolving: a couple of years ago I noticed that the red, moss green, black and blue was gone from the craft chain catalogue I got. Instead there was silver and lilac hide -- lamb, not reindeer -- matched with the silver-grey tin thread. They pitched it as"folklore gone glam". And last year I could find bright, almost neon tin thread and hides as well as patterned reindeer hide. Of cause, there's still the more traditional dark brown and black reindeer hide too.

I do not know how many more years it will be trendy for crafters and hobbyist jewellery-makers to make these bracelets, but I do know that it never really seems to fall out of fashion: there are always a few people making these, especially in the North.


How do I make tin thread braided jewellery?

As far as I know there aren't many instructions in english for making tin thread bracelets. I have found three project in english at Not Only Quilts: Sami bracelet -- the tutorial, Simple Katarina bracelet och Macrame. Some years ago I did spot a US place that taught tin thread bracelet making, but I can't recall their name and don't know if they still do it.

As you can translate websites using Google Translate, instructions and tutorials in swedish can be useful too. You can find a couple of how-tos at e.g. Slöjd-Detaljer, YLE and Min Fritid. You can also make braided or knotted jewellery without the hide foundation -- see Med glimten i ögat and YLE.

Panduro Hobby have a free pdf pamphlet with how-tos in swedish, danish and norwegian here.

Books in swedish include Tenntrådsflätning by Maggie Alexandersson (Brevskolan) and Tenntrådsbroderier by Mona Callenberg (ICA Bokförlag). The latter is more about tin thread embroidery than about tin thread jewellery, though. Gällivare Textil have published a pamphlet called Gällivare Textils Mönsterbok för skinnsömnad och tenntrådsbroderi. And for those who learn best from watching others, Agnetas Allehanda have made instructional DVDs.

For some pure eye candy, my favourite place to go is Sarakka Design.

 Where can I buy tin thread?
Outside Scandinavia it appears to be tricky to find tin thread and tin thread jewellery supplies. You are really stuck with two options: ask your local craft store or bead shop to carry it -- or buy from a scandinavian seller.

A few places in Sweden, that I know deliver internationally, are Agnetas Allehanda (wellknown source for materials and courses), Kero and TNKreativt (formerly Luletråden). There are more places, I guess, both in Sweden and in the other Scandinavian countries, but these are the better known sources. Gällivare Textil is also a shop I've heard good things about, but I'm not sure if they deliver internationally. One shop that do offer international delivery, but which I doesn't know anything about is Sörbyns Tenntråd. I also think Slöjdmaterial i Luleå and Smyckestillbehor.se (scroll to end of page) sells internationally, judging from the fact the websites are in english as well as swedish.

Then there's the chain where much of my own thread comes from, Panduro. It's a Danish chain of craft shops, based in Sweden nowadays, and they also have international websites, which you can find here.

These sellers all have supplies ranging from threads and reindeer hide to reindeer horn buttons and jewellery kits. Some of them also carry books or how-to pamphlets.
 

NB! Be prepared -- some shops charge a rather hefty shipping cost, especially if buying whole rolls as they are pretty bulky. It's probably best to contact the shop first to get an estimate if you are unsure about the costs. Remember that if you're outside the EU, you can deduct the moms (VAT/sales tax) off the retail prices (sometimes you can view the prices without moms directly and wholesale prices for businesses are always quoted without moms). That's 20 % off the listed retail price.

Bead shop map updated -- yay me!

Guess what I finally managed to do today? I've updated the Swedish Bead Shop Map! Long overdue so it feels good to have it done. Sure, there are a few minor things I should do that I never did (update the info on each shop to not include their range unless it's a speciality store, check open hours), but that's not really important compared to what I managed to do: add new shops and remove those that have closed up.

And I've changed the markers. I think you can tell what kind of colours I like... Honestly, the colour scheme just happened: the orchid/mauve markers wher actually going to be green or turquoise to keep with our original palette, but the colours where just too similar. Amongst the colours left to use, this was the one I was the most drawn to.

You can find the map, which also include links to lists of swedish webshops, here.


By the way, I'm always interested in feedback from visitors who don't speak swedish as I do get a few of those. Is it a usable resource for non-swedes? What can be done to make the map easier to understand? (Save actually write the info on each shop in english -- sorry, it's a map mainly targeted at swedes and swedish will remain the language of the site.) Is there any additional information a foreign visitor to Sweden might like to have in order to prepare for their bead shopping here? Should I perhaps add a short vocabulary so you understand that at least one shop is wholesale (to the public) only as I'm unsure about whether Google Translate can translate the info boxes on the map? If you have a suggestion, tip or question, just let me know. In the comments or you can contact me privately through the contact page.

The 'Swedish brick-and-mortar bead shops' map is revamped -- and got a new home

The bead shop map (Pärlbutikskartan) have been an almost constant source of guilt as I haven't felt I had the time and energy to keep it up to date on my own. But this year, after being on the brink of abandoning it fully or even deleting it, I gave it a new chance. And ended up not just adding and deleting shops, but also creating a new home for the map.

The new site Pärlbutiker i Sverige isn't really finished, but I have already made it public as the new home means it's much easier to inform about the map, writing more about how to use it and how to add shops to it to name a few things. I was also able to add a page with information in english, which you can find here.

While the map is written in swedish, I hope it may also be useful for an international audience, e.g. a way for beaders visiting Sweden to find shops of interest. And while I don't know if you can use Google Translate to read the info blurbs for each shop, at least you can find a link to each shop's website where you can find more info (and translate it into english).

Now, before anyone checks out the map, I also have to stress that it's virtually impossible to keep the map up to date all the time so always, always check with the shops to see that they're still open to visits when you want to go. And remember that some shops are online shops that doesn't have "proper" brick-and-mortar shops, but accepts pre-arranged visits in their storerooms.

As for Panduro, the big Scandinavian chain of craft shops, they also have a better updated map of their own here. To see it, click the "dölj/visa karta" button under the picture on the right or, if yo want a map of a specific shop, click the name of the town/city in the list. (In the list you find both Panduro shops, Panduro Hobby-butiker, and smaller independent retailers, återförsäljare.)


By the way, ages ago I wrote about the map on this blog. You can still find that post, with some info on how to read the map, here.

Bead blog recap weeks 36-37

It's time for yet another round-up of my Manekis pärlblogg posts from the last two weeks. These weeks I've posted about challenges and contests, Swarovski innovations, cool Pébéo paints, padded bead embroidery, a jewellery exhibit in Stockholm, bead shopping at Swedish sewing and mineral shows and more. (If you or beaders/jewellery makers you know are going to Stockholm -- or Sweden in general -- you might want to read this as there's an unusual amount of shopping and exhibition tips here.)

Enjoy!

Where to buy mixed thread skeins

Oliver Twist One Offs (col. no. 057)

I've spent several posts showing my yarns and mixed skeins, but rarely mentioned any brands and (I believe) never mentioning where you can get them. The skeins are sold under different names so it isn't always easy to just try and google it. I have thought about doing a short list, especially since suggesting it could be a fun challenge to do together, and recently I got a direct question about where to buy these so why prolong it?

Do note that I'm no expert in the field and this type of material is a relatively new discovery on my part. After all I am a beader, not a fibre artist or proper embroiderer. This won't be a complete list, but rather a summary of what I've found while browsing and trying to find new jewellery and embroidery supplies. Please note that I have no personal experience with all of these shops.

Hand-dyed

There are several fibre artists and embrodieres out there who create their own lines of unique hand-dyed or hand-painted threads, yarns, floss and cord for embroidery and textile art. These mixes are usually space-dyed or ombré, which means they are multi-coloured. You are not that likely to find hand-dyed skeins in one solid colour. The mixed skeins are dyed in a bundle, meaning the colours on each thread match each other perfectly.  Do not that hand-dyed and hand-painted threads rarely are guarenteed colourfast.

The skeins can be bought either directly from the maker (many have online shops and deliver internationally) or from retailers. Do check the manufacturer's website for a list of retailers, but keep in mind that the lists often aren't complete. Once you have the name of the thread you want it can be easier to goodle retailers -- or contact the manufacturer for further information. Retailers don't always carry the intire line, but many will offer to special order a specific product from their supplier if asked.


Brands/manufacturers
(Name in brackets is the name of the mixed skeins)

• GreenHouseBazaar (Textured Thread Packs)
• Les Designs (Textured (creative) Thead Packs)
• Nells Embroidery (-)
• Oliver Twists (One Offs, Silk One Offs, Happy Bags, Miscellany)
• Stef Francis (Texture Collection)
• Tentakulum (Cocktails -- sorted under Fancy Mix)
• Texere (Variety Bags/Yarn Packs)
• The Rainbow Girl (Mixed Threads, Thread Selection)

Other retailers:

• Canvas (Tentakulum, Stef Francis; Sweden -- brick-and-mortar shop in Göteborg/Gothenburg)
• Perles & Co (Oliver Twists; France, delivers internationally)
• Rainbow Silks (Oliver Twists, Stef Francis, Texere; UK, delivers internationally)
• [to be continued]

Stef Francis Texture Collection (col. no. TS-45) 

"Commercial" yarn mixes

An alternative to hand-dyed or hand-painted thread mixes are blends of yarn combined into mixed bags for crocheter and knitters or carded threads/cords/yarns for crafters and scrappers.

On the Surface is a company producing what they call  Multi Thread Cards. The mixes consist of yarns and cords, many in solid colours but some are multi-coloured/space-dyed. You can find these in craft and scrapbooking shops.

Two sellers of mixed yarns and threads on Etsy are Lace Bobbins and Spinning Streak, both in the UK and both ship internationally.

More sources wanted!

Please feel free to add to my list. Please not that it's thread mixes (blends of various threads/yarns/cords/floss) as the ones pictured above, not just any hand-dyed or hand-painted threads -- that's material for another list (and much easier to find just by googling it). The must be available in mixed skeins. Sources can be either the manufacturer themselves or a recommended retailer, who caters to a local or international costumer base.

Are you a beader planning on a trip to Sweden? Map to Swedish brick-and-mortar bead shops

UPDATE: The map has got a new home at Pärlbutiker i Sverige. Please visit the website to explore the map and read more about it.

A few days (nights) ago I updated a bead shop map I created together with another beader, Pugglis. While the map is in Swedish it might be of interest for other beaders that are planning to visit Sweden. Even if you aren't coming here just for the bead shopping -- we don't have any really big bead shops and some of the ones listed hear are rather tiny-- there's nothing wrong with just "happening" to walk past a bead shop when heading for some special sight or landmark, now is there?

There are lists of Swedish bead shops around. What makes our "list" different is that we've made it into a map of places to visit. No online businesses only or alphabetically ordered lists. This is especially made for those of us that like to do some bead shopping while travelling somewhere. The beading tourist's guide to Sweden perhaps?


Understanding the map
Literally understanding it? You can translate Swedish using e.g. Google Translate. While online translations aren't perfect, they can help you understand the basics of what a text is trying to say. [edited to add: or perhaps you can't... I don't seem to be able to use that service on the map. Sorry!]

On the map you'll find markers in different colours, symbolising different types of shops:

• Blue: Brick and mortar bead shops.

• Blue: Online webshops that accept visits from costumers if you call ahead. These have the words (bokn.) written after the name of the shop in the headline. Be sure you don't miss this detail as these aren't automatically open to the public.

• Green: Craft, hobby or other shop with a large or small range of beads amongst other things. [green]

• Orange: Other shops of interest, e.g. sellers of tools, storage solutions or bead magazines.

Click the marker to read more about each shop. There you'll find a short description of the shop's range, opening hours, address, phone numbers and (if applicable) website URL.

How to decipher the opening hours: even if you can translate the map using Google Translate, I'm afraid it might not understand the abbreviation of the days. Mån (mån) = Monday, Tis (ti) = Thuesday, Ons (on) Wednesday, Tor (to, tors) = Thursday, Fre (fr) = Friday, Lör (lö) = Saturday and Sön (sö) = Sunday.

There are also bead shops and beaders selling beads at fairs, mineral shows etc. These are not mentioned on this map and I'm afraid I don't know of any good source for finding fairs and shows with bead seller attending.


Before you plan your visit
This map is being manually updated and depends on the input from other beaders. Shops close and open, they move, they change opening hours and phone numbers. It's more or less impossible for someone to keep a hobby project like this map fully up to date all the time. So make sure you have the latest info by visiting the bead shop's website or make a call to them. It would be to bad if you go to a bead shop, eager to check out the local supply, only to find a "closed" sign (=stängt) or an empty facility.

And, again, please note that some of the shops listed are online shops (=webbutik) without any regular brick and mortar facilities. These are prefect if you're in the neighbourhood, don't want to spend money on postage or what to see the beads IRL, but they wont always give you the same type of free roaming shopping that you expect from "real" shops. Also, in most cases you have to call the owner and make an appointment.

Also make sure to double check the address: sometimes maps aren't as reliable as they should be, placing the markers in the wrong spot. We try to make sure this doesn't happen, but you can never be 100 % sure (bear in mind we haven't actually visited all the shops we list).


More information
Have I forgotten to mention something I should have? Or do you have any other questions about Swedish bead shops? Don't hesitate to ask -- I'm no expert, but I'll do my best to give you a good answer!