When I worked altering wedding gowns, we would keep pliers by our machines and use them to crush beading where we had to take in a seam. It was so much easier than trying to remove the beads any other way. There was something satisfying about crushing the beads too. Just 'pop, pop, pop' and then brush away the dust. Pliers and razor blades were two of the big tools of the trade! LOL.
Joan, I think we all have a touch of that illness. We just love fabric too much!