Beads and bead threaders

[Tattin' Kat]

What kind of seed beads do you like and where do you find them? I've been using whatever I find at Hobby Lobby and I haven't been too impressed with the silver ones---the silver appears to come off of them.

Also I've seen people mention bead threaders or using dental floss things to string beads. How do you use them? I've been using the good eye and hand technique and wondered if there was a faster/better way.

[MercyPres]

Oh MY goodness; hand and eye! Wow! I mostly use the beading needles from Hobby Lobby to thread onto my ball or shuttle thread. I like the short ones best. On some of the beads I use on size 80 thread I use the floss threaders when putting a bead on a joining picot.

PS: I really like the beads I get from artbeads.com. My daughter has picked up some really good glass beads for me from Michaels.

[Piney Woods Tatter]

For an excellent seed bead source (as well as oodles of other beads) check out:
http://firemountaingems.com
I prefer the Delica seed beads. Size 11/0 is the size most people use, but I also like the 15/0 rocailles.

Ornela seed beads are another personal favorite. They are Czechoslovakian glass and are gorgeous!

If you need help getting the beads onto the thread, then consider using some of the beading needles also carried by FMG. The wide array of goodies they have are just mind boggling!

Oh- FMG also has $5 FedEx ground shipping, too!

[BridgetH]

$5 ground shipping? When I was bead shopping I saw a $6.85 shipping rate, plus a $2.65 packing fee at FMG. Since I didn't want very many beads to begin with, I ended up going to eebeads.com. They ship First Class for $1.99 and Priority for $4.99. The cheap version still gets to my house pretty fast.

[IdahoCanuck]

I'm much too cheap to pay shipping .... I go up the street to the local JoAnn's. They have a pretty wide selection... And if I WANT something special we have a local bead shop with everything else. And then when we travel to the coast every 3 months I like to explore the local bead shops. Only thing I use for threading is cheap little floss threaders.

[Piney Woods Tatter]

Bridget,
You're right about the shipping- it is now $6.85 flat rate FedEx ground. This past November when I ordered, it was only $5. Guess they had to go up on their rates. Still, if you buy several hanks or kilos of beads, this is a reasonable rate IMHO. I'll check out the site you mentioned. Do they carry Ornela Czech beads?

Another beader friend of mine loves Shipwreck Beads. I've never ordered from them, but have heard good things.

There are a couple of small bead shops a couple of towns over from me, but I seldom find what I'm looking for. Now when there is a bead & gem show- that is shopping heaven!!!

[Sherongb]

How to get the beads on the thread. Here are several ways I know of.

If the beads are already on a string make a weavers knot and slide them over.

If the beads are loose I have a couple of suggestions depending on how you want them on the thread. If you don't mind the order they are in (say you are using all the same color beads) use a bead spinner with the bent needle (not the pink plastic ones one of the wooden ones) The more beads you put in the spinner the easier it is for them to climb onto the needle. Since a basic/simple/close rule of thumb is that the number of beads in an inch equals the size (so an 8-0 bead would have 8 beads per inch and an 11-0 bead would have 11 beads per inch) don't count how many beads you have loaded, measure how many inches of beads you have loaded and add an extra inch or so just in case.

If you want different colored beads in a set order (say red, white, blue, yellow, green, and repeat) get a plastic lid, say from a can of tea mix, or cocoa or even yogurt, and cut a piece of felt to fit in it. Put the beads on the felt, they won't roll away as you are trying to get them. You can use a floss threader, a beading needle (try the large eye ones with the hole in the middle of the needle, good for many different sizes of thread) or even stiffen the end of the thread with a bit of glue (smear it in, wipe off the excess and let it dry) and use that.

[frakira]

Ornela seed beads are another personal favorite. They are Czechoslovakian glass and are gorgeous!

They are czech beads, Czechoslovakia doesn't exist (from wiky: On 1 January 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.) - I know it isn't important for tatting, but maybe it is good to know it ;-)
I use czech beads and long eye needle for threading.

[Tattin' Kat]

Thanks for all of the help. Now to find some time and $$ to check out the beading sites.

How do you use floss threaders to get beads on a thread?

[IdahoCanuck]

You use them the same way you would use a bead needle.... Only they are flexable and they have a very large eye! So easy to use... And cheap.... If you get some you will see how they work quite easily.

[Susan B T]

I like Japanese seed beads and get them for local bead stores....

Use a 14 0r 16 crochet hook, needle and tread or floss thread. It depends on how they are used in my tatting as to what I use.

[dskidmore]

Color durability is a known problem, especially with metallic finishes:
http://www.firemountaingems.com/encyclobeadia/beading_resources.asp?docid=6A21&doccat=knowledge%20base&sact=search

I'm currently using the translucent glass with the metal core, I'm hoping that is more durable than the external metal finish. I tested all my beads in soapy water to check for any super-cheap dye jobs. (I bought cheap beads at the local craft store so wanted to be sure.)

The current thread and beading needle I am using are too closely sized for a threader, I broke the last threader I tried using. Using beeswax on the thread and then squishing the thread flat definitely helps with hand threading those narrow beading needle holes.

[Ireneho]

I use Miyuki Delicas to create my bead tubes and Guttermann seed beads for added sparkle. I also make my own paper beads from archival quality quilling and scrapbook paper. To thread beads, if the thread has an end, I use my Big Eye. If it doesn't, I use my needle threader.

[StephanieGrace]

I wrote my response and got a 503 error *pouts* Here's the "Reader's Digest Version":

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/gum-eez-thru-floss-threaders/ID=prod2385-product ~Those are floss threaders. You can use them for adding beads to your ball or shuttle thread OR in conjunction with a smaller thread to please a bead on a picot instead of fighting with a tiny crochet hook. These are very fine and durable, but breaking a few isn't too upsetting for the price. I use these to thread size 11/0 Czech glass seed beads onto size 20 thread and they've held up VERY well (and if they end up with a fold at the end of the 'eye' --all the better!).

I'm not big on beading, but make sure you have some tear drop or top cut beads to dangle. ;-) I made my 'big buy' at a bead expo last year (it's very skimpy) and buy from etsy and ebay witch very little to no shipping costs. I also really love going to Walmart and buying the $8(?) package of glass beads. The combination of sizes and randomness of the beads is not only inspiring, but means getting beads you normally wouldn't be drawn to ... I love that! I guess I'm just a 'Grab Bag' kind of gal. :-)

I'm sure that's even less helpful than my first ramble, but if it goes through, I'll be happy! LOL. :-)

Love and Happy Tatting to all!

♥,
Stephanie Grace

[Ireneho]

These floss threaders must be an American thing. I haven't found any in any of my local chemists in Australia.

[StephanieGrace]

Ireneho,

The threaders are used for something or another with dental braces, if that will help you find some. If not, if you PM or e-mail me your address (StephanieGraceCrafts@gmail.com), I'd be happy to mail you a few to try!

♥,
Stephanie Grace

[Ireneho]

Nah its fine. Ty for the offer though! :) Was just curious what this "floss threader", I kept reading about, was. Anyway, I did manage to buy a needle threader that had longer wire things on the end, instead of the short length. They just fit thru my longest paper bead.

[Judy]

Here's how I use the floss threader. Use the single end to put through the bead, 2,,3, or more at one time on the threader. Next, put your thread end through the loop in the floss threader. Now, pull the beads over the loop and they will end up on the thread.... it works pretty well unless the hole in the bead is too small and it gets stuck where the thread goes through the loop.

[Tattin' Kat]

Thanks for the help all.

Have you found any cheap pearl like beads that stand up well? I use them with some tatting on barrettes for my daughter, but the outer coating is coming off some of them. I bought the cheap ones at Walmart.

[Ireneho]

As my Grandma says, "Cheap stuff don't last long, good things last forever". Although she says it in Cantonese... I stopped using cheap beads, they just don't last. I just find them tacky.

[Flia]

I almost always use very small seed beads such as Toho or Miyuki size #15. They often have holes that are too small to thread the usual way, so I use nail polish or glue to stiffen and shape about 3 cm at the end of the thread/floss.