Information on seed beads

Information on seed beads for bead embroidery and general beading interest:

Delicas are made in Japan, and they look like little cylinders. They have HUGE holes, and they are precision cut with lasers so they are all very close to being exactly the same size. They are very good for off-loom bead weaving, like peyote stitch, brick stitch, etc. They are not so great for bead embroidery. I personally think they are unsuitable for embroidery because their big holes cause them to roll around too much while I'm working, and for me this creates spacing problems. These come in size 8 (biggest) and size 11 (smallest). My favorite supplier for delica beads is Painter's Art Gallery.

The Japanese companies also make regular seed beads, and these are pretty good for embroidery, and they come in a marvelous array of colors! They have big holes, but not as big as the delicas, and they are less perfect. Their size and shape varies with the manufacturer. These come in size 6 (biggest size), size 8, size 11, and size 14 or 15 (smallest, very tiny but still easy to work with due to the hole size). My favorite supplier for Japanese beads is Kandra's -- http://www.kandrasbeads.com/

Czech seed beads are my favorite to use, and generally they are donut shaped. Their holes are smaller than the Japanese beads. They come in many colors too, but you may likely find the Czech purples and pinks to be less vibrant that the Japanese purples and pinks. Czech beads come in a wider array of sizes, the most common that you will encounter are size 6 (biggest), size 8, size 9 3-cut, size 10, size 11, and size 13 (smallest). Czech charlotte or true cut beads have a single facet cut into one side, and have a subtle sparkle; the 3-cut beads have multiple sides and are very sparkly. My favorite supplier for Czech seeds is http://www.monsterslayer.com/CatalogIndex.htm

In your quest to buy beads, you might also encounter beads made in France, Italy, India and Taiwan. French beads are similar to Czechs but I have found them to be more irregular in shape, and they tend to have smaller holes. You can find some really rich colors in the French beads though -- in particular I love the French opal pinks and blues. I haven't ever bought any Italian beads, but I have it on good authority that they are comparable to Czechs. You will find that beads from India or Taiwan are VERY irregular in shape and size, as well as hole size. However, this does not necessarily make them undesirable for bead embroidery . Using imperfect beads can add visual interest.

I use bugle beads quite a lot in my bead embroidery, and bugle sizes begin at size 1 (shortest) and continue up thru size 30 (longest). I like to use sizes 1, 2 and 3. I prefer Japanese bugles because they have smoother ends. I do use Czech bugles as well though. To protect your thread from being cut, it is wise to sandwich your bugle between 2 seed beads. Some folks use emery boards to smooth bugle ends, but I just discard any bugles with chipped ends. My new favorite supplier of Czech bugles is K&PTreasures on ebay.

I use sequins in my bead embroidery sometimes, and my favorite supplier is http://www.ccartwright.com/index.html

There are also various specialty beads that you might encounter, like steel cuts, maco tubes, triangles, cubes, drops or magatamas, twisted hex, etc.

There is a really good page of information regarding glass and finish types at http://www.beadcats.com/catalog/tech/tech.htm -- these fine ladies sell beads too, and I have purchased from them in the past with no problems.

So, my preference for bead embroidery is the Czechs and Japanese seed beads, but I don't reject beads from other places, if I like them. I use mainly Japanese size 11, and Czech size 10 & 11, and I use other sizes too as accents in my work.

Another fun thing to use in bead embroidery and beadwork in general is pressed glass beads. They are available at Glass Bead Garden and at http://www.beadcats.com/catalog/pressed/prestop.htm

My needle preference is size 12 Pony needles. I have used the John James brand needles but in my experience, they break easily. I have never had a problem using a size 12 needle even with the tiny Japanese size 14 or 15. If you use a lot of Czech size 13 beads, you might want to keep a few size 13 needles on hand, since occasionally you'll find ones with really small holes. For thread, I prefer nymo size B or silamide size A. I've also used nymo size D, but I stay away from the O and OO weights because I find them to be too flimsy. I don't use a thread conditioner unless I'm using a lot of matte finish beads, and then I use beeswax, and I seal it by zipping my thread quickly across a hot light bulb.

I have done bead embroidery on several surfaces. When making a doll, I prefer to bead on ultrasuede, and I also like to bead on wool felt and even craft felt. When beading a flat panel, I like to bead on canvas paper or on stiffened felt, which can be purchased at Ben Franklin stores. When I use canvas paper, I usually use an iron-on stabilizer, just to make it more substantial.

If you are interested in beading a doll, I encourage you to visit Bead Doll FAQ where you will find enough information on stitches to get you started. Free patterns as well as kits to purchase can be found at http://www.kivett-studio.com/patterns. If you find that you really enjoy beading dolls, I highly recommend Cindy's book which is the only book that deals specifically with the issues you will encounter when bead embroidering a 3 dimensional form. Another very good book on bead embroidery is Beaded Embellishment by Robin Atkins and Amy C. Clarke. My favorite book on off-loom bead weaving is Creative Bead Weaving by Carol Wilcox Wells.

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disclaimer: I made this page to try to answer FAQs I get in emails. Your results may vary!

Written by Carol Dellinger, 2004. You have permission to make copies of this page for personal use and to share with your friends, all I ask is that you leave my name on it.