Knowledge Center

We are excited about sharing our knowledge with our beading customers. Have a question about a bead or a beading technique that we haven’t covered in our topics below, just fill in our form and we will try to help.

Need to be able to convert between mm and inches or other units? Check out this conversion site.

Topics we discussed in our Knowledge Center are:

• Beads, Seed
  • All About Seed Beads - shapes, sizes and more
  • Finishes - what is an AB and Transparent Matte and, oh my, what are all of these?
  • Storage - egads, I have so many tubes, what do I do with all of them?
• Beading Techniques
• Bracelets - How to Size
• Conversion Charts
  • Miyuki 11s to Delica numbers
  • Delica to Miyuki 11s numbers
• Crystal (Swarovski) Color Chart
• Finishing Techniques for Stringing
  • Adjustable Knots - great for kid's necklaces/bracelets or for badges and much more
  • Lark's Head Knot - how to attach donuts and rings without a bail
  • French Wire
• Lacy Stiff Stuff - a beading foundation
• Metals & Wire including:
  • Defintions and Properties:
    Dead Soft
    Fine Silver vs. Sterling Sliver
    German Metal
    Gold Filled
    Half Hard Plated Metal
    Precious Metal Clay and Metal Clay
    Vermeil
  • How to Clean
• Pearls
  • Care
  • Cleaning
  • Restringing
  • Storing
• Sizing Charts includes:
  • Seed Bead Length and Needle & Thread Size to use
  • Bugle Sizes
  • Other Beads per inch - aid to designing
  • Wire Gauge to Bead Guide
• Stone Properties includes:
  • Birthstones
  • Healing
• Storage of small beads like seed beads, crystals, stones, etc.
• Stitch History
• Test Beads for being Colorfast

Lacy's Stiff Stuff

Beading Foundation

For cabochon beading, bead embroidery, sewing, and much more.

Durable and stiff, yet a needle glides through it. Holds its shape even when wet: washable and shrink resistant. Draw or trace onto it or iron-on a transfer. Glue on Cabochons - you are set to go within 20 minutes.

Coloring Lacy's

You can dye Lacy's to match your background, your thread, or your heart's desire. Mix 1 teaspoon Rit powder to 2 cups boiling water. Be careful - the dye will fizz and boil up. Allow Lacy's to soak in the dye for 60 seconds. Rinse in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Allow to air dry.

Or color as you go: Permanent markers work well with Lacy's. This method allows you to change background colors as needed in following your design or pattern.

Lacy's can also be covered with fabric that you can then stitch to its backside when the beading is done.

Gluing to Lacy's

Cabochons glued with E-6000 glue are secure on Lacy's - since Lacy's is porous, you can begin to work in about 20 minutes after gluing. No need to wait until tomorrow.

Pearls - Care and Handling

Care: 

Avoid contact with ammonia, bleach, hairspray, perfumes, vinegar and ink. These substances will spot, pit or disintegrate the surface on your pearls. Be sure to put your pearls on after your perfume, makeup and hairspray. Remove your pearls before doing strenuous exercise and do not wear them in the pool as most pools contain chlorinated water. Wearing them to the beach or swimming in the salt water is not a good idea either. 

Cleaning: 

Always wipe pearls with a warm damp washcloth after wearing and before putting them away. Wiping them off will remove any body oils or perspiration which are very harmful to the color of your pearls. Avoid all jewelry cleaners that contain ammonia and never use an ultrasonic cleaner!

Restringing:

If you wear your pearls frequently, restring them once a year or so. 

Always use silk cord and knot between each pearl to prevent the pearls from rubbing against each other. With proper care and handling, your pearls will last a lifetime.

Storing:

Since the finish on pearls is soft and easily damaged or scratched, store pearls in a soft satin pouch or wrapped in soft linen. Pearls need moisture to prevent the nacre from cracking. Do not store pearls in airtight environment for any length of time, especially in a safe deposit box.

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Stitch History

This section will discuss the various off-loom bead weaving stitches, other names for them, where they came from and more.

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Test Beads for being Colorfast

The technique of beading onto fabric is called Bead Embroidery. But before you decorate your clothing with all your gorgeous beads, you will want to ensure that you can then wash or dryclean your clothes. Thus, it is best to test beads for being colorfast, ie: cleanable. Bead Embroiderer extraordinaire, Robin Atkins, gives free tips on testing beads for being colorfast.

Last updated: 6/05/09