Before the Stitching

Hi again.  I hope this posting finds you well.  I was going to start with a stitch by fear I didn't have a good drawing to show you.  So come back next time to view one of my first stitches.

We have the bead mat, the needles and the fireline (thread). But before we can get started stitching we have to pick up some beads.  For most of my stitching projects I use seed beads or crystals. And since I have already chatted about crystals, seed beads are todays topic.

Seed beads are small beads made from glass and come in many sizes, colors and finishes.  And their are several suppliers of seed beads too.  For the most part, seed beads are pretty uniform but every now and one will come out distorted.  I don't throw them away, I simply set these misfits aside to use for a special project in the future.  I figure why waste them, maybe I could embed them in a resin focal or something.

Sorry, I thought this would show up better than it did.  I hope you can see what I'm talking about.

In the photo above I listed the size bead and the finish if I knew what it was.  As you can see, the bigger the number, the smaller the bead so the 15/0 is the smallest (at least of what I have) and the 6/0 is the largest.  Then there is the finish.  I have matte which is soft and has like a satin finish on it. I also have metallic, silver lined and transparent which are all just what they sound like.  Then the bead companies have also come out with a new shape to stitch with - the cube.  I have only used this one once but if was fun and gave a cool effect to the bracelet.

Here's a bracelet using several different seed beads.
Notice the cubes.
This is called Ortheo, I took it as a class at Beadin' Mon!

And the great thing about most seed beads are they are fairly inexpensive and a tube will last for quite a while. So there is lots of creating to be made.

I got all these fabulous beauties from Beadin' Mon! They carry a variety of colors, sizes and finishes to meet your beading needs.  Stop by the shop in Flint, MI or check out our online store at www.beadinmon.com.  And if you're not sure what you need, feel free to ask for help, the Beadin' Mon! staff love to help you create your one of a kinds.  Meet me next time when we start stitching until then Happy Beadin'.