Sunday 14 December 2014

There are several different kinds of needles. The type of needle used depends on the project or material that you're working with.

1. Big Eye Needle: This needle is made of 2 needles smoldered together. The large eye allows you to pass ribbon, twine, yarn, and other large fibers through it easily. 



2. Twisted-Wire Needles: These are incredibly pliable wires that let you string a wide but flexible material such as ribbon with beads with somewhat small holes, like crystals or round beads. 

 

3. Sized Needles: These needles are available in size 10, 12, 13, and 15 (I usually use size 12). The size you use depends on the size of the hole of the beads you want to use. The larger the needle size number, the shorter the needle and the smaller the eye and tip.

 

Image Sources: Beazu, Etsy



This bracelet was a first attempt at creating the flat spiral stitch. The beads used are: 6mm round beads for the base, size 6 brown seed beads and opaque size 11 TOHO seed beads to bring it all together. The final bracelet is very sturdy but flexible and is finished off with a metal toggle clasp.

Sunday 7 December 2014



This bracelet was made by my mother using size 11 seed beads and the twisted herringbone stitch. The toggle clasps are tied in with swarovski crystals at either end.
This bracelet was originally a Mother's Day gift for my wonderful Mom. The stitch used is the square stitch and the beads are size 11 seed beads. The hearts alternate from being right-side up to being upside-down. The clasp is a pearl bead and may vary.


An important part of creating a work of art is choosing which colors to use. Often, certain colors work better together than others. Choosing which combinations to use can be tricky, but here are a few tips to make the choice a little easier:

There are twelve basic hues:
color hue names


Color Schemes:


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1. Monochromatic: combining lighter and darker hues of the same color.




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2. Analogous: combining three or four adjacent colors on the color wheel.







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3. Complementary: combining any two colors on opposite sides of the color wheel.






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4. Triadic: combining three equally spaced colors, in the form of a triangle.






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5. Split Complementary: combing complementary and triadic schemes (choose a color plus the two colors closely adjacent to it).






Image Source: Color Theory

These colorful embellished ladder stitch bracelets have size 11 seed beads overlapping size 6 seed beads. The clasps are toggle clasps (either silver or bronze). You can choose any colors or sizes for this bracelet. You can find it on my Etsy shop!




Saturday 6 December 2014

One of the most important steps to take before making a beaded product is choosing the kinds of beads to work with. Some beads work well with others, and some don't. The more variations you try, the more possibilities you have!

Bugle Beads

Bugle beads are tubular in shape and are cut to different lengths. They can be found in different finishes, colours, and twists.
bugle beads
Bugle Beads and Sizes

Delica Beads

Delica beads are small beads that are perfect cylindrical Japanese beads. They are available in two different sizes (8 and 11). 

delica beads
Delica Beads have thin walls and large holes

Donut Beads

Donut beads are flat, circular pendants with large holes in the center. 

donut beads


Faceted Beads

Faceted beads have multiple cuts to create a sparkling, radiant effect. 

faceted

Hex-Cut Beads

Hex-cut beads are Japanese glass beads cut from a hexagonal bead cane. They come in three sizes (8, 11 and 12).

hex beads

Pearl Beads

Pearl beads are natural pearls that are fashioned into beads.

pearls

Seed Beads

Seed beads are the most commonly used type of bead. They are small pieces of glass cut from bead canes. They come in 4 different sizes (15, 11, 8 and 6).

rocailles

Square Beads

Square beads are cubed beads that have a round hole in the center. 



Triangle Beads

Triangle beads are shaped like triangular prisms and have round holes in the center. 


Twin Beads

Twin beads are oval beads that have two holes in them. These two holes can be used to make a variety of projects.

 

Image Source: Beads Direct