re: seed beads.... I am a Hobby beader.... that and I *HAVE* to bead... otherwise, I'm stringing clods of cat hair..... I actually LIKE small packages of the gick brands of beads... You do have to throw some out cause the holes are wonky, but unlike hanks they get used up.
I love to make beaded earrings. They don't take a lot of beads, work up quickly, and look wonderfully "sparklie" when worn. A single hank of beads makes gajillions of pairs, more than I could ever use , give away. I still buy them, of course... the sheer luxury of having that many..... wow! I also use Blue Moon Beads from Liz Ward... her seed beads (11/0) are pretty uniform, and the color range is pretty spectacular, except for true purple.... They're only about a buck fifty per, so you can build up quite a selection of colors quickly.
uhm - no - not quite. sorry. i was talking about the differences in seed beads - between China, Japan, Czech, and anyone else who makes them. quality, size, variations, all that sort of thing.
this is what i'm working on:
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buy hanks and 1/4 masses, generally **grin**mostly Czech, but some others.
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
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's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis
On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 20:56:28 -0400, Beth wrote (in message ):
For some things, I use the wonky packages of gick beads, because I'm looking for a rugged not-so-smooth look. I've used them in spirals to great effect. But they really are mega-expensive. I can get a half-kilo of seeds (500 grams) for less than $10 at Bobby Beads or Caravan Beads The little packets have less than 85 grams for the bags, and 30 grams for the tubes. Both cost in the neighborhood of $3.00 at my craft store or big-box retailer. Even a cursory look at the math, shows the profit factor in the smaller packets of beads. And that's not counting the number of beads you have to cull because they have no holes, are half a bead, a double bead or are a wierd shape.
I use Japanese seed beads for such tasks, and think that Delicas would be the best for this task. They're dirt cheap, because you get so many beads for your money, and because even a 5 gram package contains 900 beads.
The biggie would be how light a pair of earrings would be when made of Delicas. Delicas are a very thin tube of bead around a much larger tube of air, and provide a lot of bead at very little weight. They also come in about a million jillion colors.
God, I can't believe I'm talking myself into Delicas, because I really don't like them for a lot of projects. I like the bumpiness and rounded texture of the fabric made from seed beads. However, if I were making a charted design where the exact texture and placement of the beads were essential, I would use Delicas in a heartbeat.
Kathy's Easy Delica Pearl Stringing Cheat. Got pearls to string, but don't want to deal with the bother of knotting silk? Easy-peasy. String your pearls on Soft-flex with an 11/0 Delica in white or off white (depending on the color of the pearls) between each pearl, exactly there the knots would be.If you aren't trying to fool anyone, use a contrasting color to add a little gleam between the pearls. Either way, it's much faster, you get the benefit of having the pearls strung on a modern (non-rotting, non-stretching) materials. Your cool new necklace will outlast you.
Right now, I'm making a big fat Ndebele rope of 8/0 seed beads with a hollow core. All the beads are Miyuki from Whim Beads, and Im making a very subtle pattern within the rope (alternating matte and shiny beads of the same color and tone). I've used 6 tubes of beads thus far, and have culled fewer than a dozen beads.
On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 21:07:01 -0400, vj wrote (in message ):
I'll find some of my "absolutely sure they're Czech" beads this weekend and make you a sample to add to my photos. BTW, I find that the "flattened donut" shape of Czech beads to make them the most useful and beautiful for Ndbele stitch, which I use all the time.
I buy a tube of a specific color to see if it's something I'd want, and then I'll buy a half kilo or a kilo or the colors I know I'll use.
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Kathy N-V :
]I buy a tube of a specific color to see if it's something I'd want, and then ]I'll buy a half kilo or a kilo or the colors I know I'll use.
well . . . i USED to do that. now, every time i see a color i really like, i just grab while i have a chance. i wish i could get back to Midwest Beads in Milwaukee. they had a GORGEOUS selection!
i really, really appreciate all your help with this crazy project of mine, Kathy!!!!!
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
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's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Kathy N-V :
]I'll find some of my "absolutely sure they're Czech" beads this weekend and ]make you a sample to add to my photos. BTW, I find that the "flattened ]donut" shape of Czech beads to make them the most useful and beautiful for ]Ndbele stitch, which I use all the time.
you are such a sweetheart!!!!!!!
----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books)
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's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis
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