Beading - What to Bead With

I love going to bead stores - I love the feel of the beads and the look of the beads, I love beads of glass, carved wooden beads, crystal beads, beads made of semi-precious stones. Sometimes it's better not to have such a vast choice - and cheaper too! Going to a large bead specialty store can be very overwhelming, especially if you are not sure what you want. Or on the other hand you buy all these beads that are really cool thinking that someday you will make something with them, and they sit in your bead box. I find the local craft store has just the right selection for me and I try to buy just what I need for the project I am working on.

There are many types of beads available, this is just a snapshot of what you will find, I hope it will help you get started.

The Beads

Seed beads are tiny round shaped beads. They come in a wide variety of colors and finishes. You can buy them at the dollar store and craft stores or specialty bead stores. Beware that you get what you pay for. The dollar store seed beads are not uniform in shape and depending on your project, could affect its final look. I like to buy my seed beads in the bulk packages at the craft store. There will always be some irregular beads in the packages - just throw them away.

If I am doing a project where all the beads need to lay flat or fit together perfectly I will choose Delicas or Hex beads. Delicas are precision milled cylindrical beads. They are often more expensive but well worth it as they create a beautiful even finish to your beadwork. They are really nice to work with as they have a large whole so you can pass the needle and thread through many times.

Hex beads are similar to delicas except that they are six sided. They lie together nicely and add texture to your project.

Bugle beads are like long a long seed bead. They come in a variety of lengths.

Pony beads are quite a bit larger and are usually used with wool, hemp or textured stringing material

All the above beads come in a variety of colors and finishes. They also come in a variety of packaging.

Jewelry Findings

Jewelry findings are all the things to do with assembling jewelry that are not beads, such as clasps and hooks.

Containers

Often beads come in a bag. Once you open the bag it is hard to reseal it. I go to the dollar store and buy small clear or opaque containers with lids and use them to store the beads. Some beads come in vials or pill bottle like containers. I keep those beads in their original containers and put them into larger plastic containers with lids. This keeps everything nice and neat. To keep all these little containers together, I use the large clear Rubbermaid totes. I have 5 (really!) of these large totes filled with containers of beads. I have a smaller tote where I keep all my tools (scissors, pliers and glues).

The Stringing Material

The material you are going to use to string your breads will depend a lot on what you are going to make.

Thread is the most common medium used for beading. Special beading thread available at craft and bead stores is ideal for beading. It comes in different thicknesses, the standard being ‘D' and a finer thickness ‘B'. Serger thread can also be used as it can handle more stress then regular sewing thread. For my bead looms I often use quilting thread as it can take a lot of stress when you have to pull the loom really tight. It is fun to match the colour of your thread to your bead project. When beading with thread, you will need beading needles (I will cover them in more details under Tools). You can easily tie the ends of the thread into a knot when you are finished and add a drop of clear nail polish to secure it.

Nylon thread or thin fishing line (4 or 5 lb test) can also be used for beading. Nylon thread is good when you are using clear beads so you don't see the thread through the bead. To finish with nylon thread you need to weave it back through the beading project a few times. In my experience it doesn't stay tied in a knot very well, even if you put nail polish on it.

Elastic thread is good for bracelets and rings so you don't have to put a clasp in. It comes in clear too. You can ties it in a knot and add a drop of clear nail polish to finish.

Tigertail is nylon covered jewelry wire it is often used for single strand necklaces and bracelets. It comes in 3 strand or 7 strand widths. It doesn't bend into shapes like wire; it does have some firmness to it and yet still gives the necklace some movement. It is usually sold by the foot or yard. With tiger tail you need to attach a clasp with a crimp bead.

Fine gauged wire is used when you want to shape your bead work or make your bead work stiff. Wire comes in a variety of thicknesses or gauges, gold, copper, silver. Choose a wire thickness that can pass through your bead at least twice - depending on what you are making. To finish I often wrap the wire back into a bead or just around itself a couple of times.

This should give you an idea of what to look for when you go to the store. If you are not sure what to get, the staff at the store will be able to help. I often take the instructions with me just to be sure. Sometimes what it is called in the book is not the same as what it is called at the store. This is confusing, so try to remember what you've read above, because even if it's called something different it may be the same thing.

My article on Beading with Kids, talks about introducing your children to beading, and doing stuff together as a family

My article on Getting Started with Beading, is an introduction to beading

My article on Beading -tools for beading, talks about some of the tools and extra things you might want for beading

Enjoy and happy beading, Jan