A lot of stitchers use cotton or silk floss to attach beads here and there on their canvases. I do this also but when I have a lot of beads to attach, I like to switch to Nymo.
People who make bead jewelry know that beads will rub and rub and eventually and cut through threads if you aren't careful. So they use special nylon and other synthetic threads to get around this problem. Nymo is the most popular brand of beading thread. You can see little spools of it on the left side of the page. It comes in various sizes. My spool of black is size D and it seems to work with the Sundance and Mill Hill beads I use nicely. It also comes on huge cones but they are for folks who are making a lot of bead jewelry. But if you and your stitching friends want to go in together and get a cone, it probably is slightly cheaper.
However, there are many many brands of beading thread. Here's a good list that explains the differences between many brands. Just because your local beading source doesn't carry Nymo, it doesn't mean you have to go home empty handed!
http://www.landofodds.com/store/threads.htm
Another thing beaders do is condition their beading threads with beeswax or with synthetic lubricants. You have probably seen the little blue boxes of Thread Heaven at your local stitching shop.
http://www.threadheaven.com/
There are other synthetics available but some folks prefer pure beeswax. This site gives you some information on some brands of synthetics and also several forms of beeswax. Put your cursor on a tiny photo and you'll see a larger photo with information about each item.
http://www.firemountaingems.com/shopping.asp?skw=KWCORDACCONDITIONER
All you do is draw your thread across the thread conditioner to coat it with the product. This makes the thread a little stronger and has the bonus of taming some of the more unruly threads. I like to use a cake of real beeswax myself. It feels a bit better to me than Thread Heaven and also makes me remember the stitchers that have come before us who had nothing but beeswax available. However, this is personal preference speaking. I don't know of any information that documents one type of thread conditioner is better than another.
Some folks even use the Burt's Bees lip balm for waxing but it can be slightly scented and not all the lip balms are just beeswax. This may be something you have at hand or something you might worry would damage the thread. Your choice.
http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/lips-lip-care/
Guess I'd better put the beading toys away and get back to O'jishi's background!
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
