Beading Thread

I was wandering around the Internet this morning and stumbled across a great idea--beading thread color collections from S-Lon. They are at Needlepoint Tool Time.   The store even sells empty tubes so you can store the beading thread spools you already own. ( I have spools of Nymo brand beading thread that look like they will fit these tubes.)   As far as I can discover, Nymo and S-Lon are two of the many brands of nylon beading thread.  I've used both and I can't see any difference myself but then I am attaching beads to needlepoint canvas, not doing beadweaving or making jewelry.  If you are interested in acquiring various colors of nylon beading thread, this is a good place.  I can recommend Tisha's customer service and she has great sales occasionally.
http://www.needlepointtooltime.com/product/SLD-MIX

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How To Bead Needlepoint Canvas (Part One)

There's a lot of beading going on here in Needlepoint Land, isn't there?  I know a lot of folks have experimented with various ways of adding beads to canvas which I am going to summarize below.   But before I do, you should know Sundance Designs (which sells wonderful beads) has two beaded heart kits available with instructions?  This is a good way to practice if you don't happen to have beads lying around or a suitable canvas.  Here are the kits, red/gold/pink first--
http://store.apneedlearts.com/behekired.html

and now green/gold/blue.
http://store.apneedlearts.com/behekigr.html

Generally speaking, on 18 count canvas size 11 beads (sometimes called 11/0) work well.  However, if you are going to completely cover a canvas (or even a big area) solidly in beads on 18 count, I like using size 14 and even 15 if you can find them.  These are just general guidelines.  You can use any size you want depending on the effect you need.

There are two main threads used to attach beads:  using beading thread (like Nymo) or 1-2 strands of floss (either silk or cotton).  My preference is to use waxed silk floss, one long strand doubled in the needle.  Why silk?  It is stronger than cotton.  Why Nymo?  It is stronger even than silk.  Whichever route you go, folks say to wax the thread before you put it through the needle's eye using a cake of real beeswax.  Bead holes will over time rub against the thread they are attached with, leading to a cut thread and a missing bead.  I made sure to use a doubled length of waxed Nymo when I attached beads to Red Geisha since she is going on the front of a purse and will get more wear than a framed piece or a display pillow.

My Nymo thread doesn't have a size listed on it, but this website shows the colors available and mentions the various sizes.
http://www.beadaholique.com/c-60433-nymo-beading-thread.aspx

Some people use Thread Heaven to coat their beading thread and I understand there is a synthetic beeswax available, but I stick to my little pressed cake of beeswax.
http://www.beadaholique.com/nsearch.aspx?keywords=beeswax&ShowPics=1

Traditionally beading needles are around three inches long with very sharp tips.  I like the long length myself but if you do not, John James has short beading needles which look much like tapestry needles except with sharp tips.  They are very nice needles.  I find myself using mostly sizes 10 or 12 although I have some 16s.
http://www.shipwreckbeads.com/catalog/Beading-Tools-and-Accessories/Beading-Needles/

Beading needles have small eyes.  The best way to thread them is to use a wire loop threader like the one in the link below.  I normally just put one ply through the eye.  If I want two strands, I double a long length of thread.
http://www.maxiaids.com/products/1368/Wire-Loop-Needle-Threader.html

The eyes of beading needles and the wires of these wire loop threaders are under a lot of stress. I rarely break the eye of a needle, but when I do, it is always a beading needle.  So don't buy just one beading needle.  To help extend the life of your wire loop threader, put a drop of Super Glue at the base where the wires attach to the holder.  This makes it harder to yank the wires out of the base.

There are several products needlepointers use to keep the beads they are attaching to a canvas secure. Beads are escape artists--they jump and roll and end up everywhere if you aren't careful.  I use a Tacky BOB box to keep my beads from taking off.
http://beadwork.about.com/od/beadworkbookprodrevs/fr/TackyBOB.htm

The Collection has a new wooden disk that has a similar sticky surface that you attach to your canvas using a magnet set on the back.  Pour on the beads and they will stay put until you pick them up with the tip of your needle.
http://www.thecollectiondesigns.com/sequins-and-beads.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/03/sequins-and-ez-beader.html

I imagine the drawback of both of these is that lint and pet hair will be trapped by the sticky surface and it is very difficult to remove.  It doesn't seem to keep the beads from sticking, however.  I just wish it could be removed with a quick washing periodically.

This is getting much longer than I expected and we've not even reached how to add beads to needlepoint canvas, so let's take a break and I'll write more about this tomorrow.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Beading: Nymo and Thread Conditioners

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