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#11
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In older catalogs they used to state that their dyna-mites were made in
China or Taiwan. I don't use them so I've never paid attention to the change. Thanks for pointing it out. -- -- Barbara www.penguintrax.com eBay: penguintrax Justbeadsenguintrax 0 /O\ There is a very fine line between a hobby and mental illness. (Dave Barry) Need quality, inexpensive web hosting? Check out http://www.lyonshost.com. Shopping carts, blogs, image galleries, content management and more! |
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#12
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I strung a whole tube of Miyuki Size 8 seed beads the other day and culled
10 beads, which I thought was pretty good. Elise "Kathy N-V" wrote in message . giganews.com... On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 21:14:38 -0500, Beadbimbo wrote (in message ): I know what Delicas are, but I don't know anything about any other Myuki beads. Are all Myukis really consistant in size, like the delicas are? warning: long Kathy N-V-ish answer ahead, involving her scientific observations and comparisons and general geekiness. Proceed at your own peril. Other Miyuki products are not as consistent as Delicas. (And Delicas tend to be less consistent than Toho Treasures, but Toho Treasures have a far smaller color selection) They are worlds more consistent than Czech, Indian or Taiwanese seed beads, but they still do need some culling. I've found that the cube beads from Miyuki have the roughest edges and need the most attention, with solid colors requiring more culling than the color lined, for some reason. The Miyuki triangle beads are the smoothest (almost a "round" triangle, if you know what I mean), and I rarely throw one away. If you want incredible consistency, take a look at Toho Aiko beads. They're even smaller than Delicas, and are astonishingly consistent. I was sent a small sample, and worked it up to see how the finished product looked. A tiny sample of Aiko beads looks a lot like micro-mosaics. Very, very pretty, but rather tough on the eyes of the beadworker. If you like working with 15/0 beads, you'll love these. The three well known Japanese beadmakers have seed bead products that are very consistent compared to beads from other countries, and I'm sure that long time bead artists would think we're spoiled compared to the (pardon me) junk that was the norm even a decade ago. But seed beads still require some culling - how much really depends on the stitch you're using. A forgiving stitch (like Ndebele) or bead embroidery can use beads that would look horrid in loomwork or charted peyote stitch. Personally, I find that Toho beads are my favorite, but Miyukis are easier to find. If I'm not mistaken, Matsuno beads are the ones that FMG sells as Dyna-mites. All three are subtly different from each another, although they can usually be used together in the same project - unlike mixing say Czech and Japanese beads in a loomwork project. (eww) Czech seed beads require more culling than Japanese ones, but they have their own really nice qualities as well. The shape is completely different (think donut compared to pipe), and the color selection is a lot nicer (especially in the pinks and purples, which the Japanese have never really gotten down perfectly, IMNSHO) I even have a place (a very small and limited place) for cheap seed beads from Taiwan or India. If I can find a truly unusual color and enough to do an entire project (color matching over time is something that hasn't happened there yet), I'll buy the beads. They make a very "organic," somewhat roughly finished final product. I've yet to find find a bead that simulates the texture of tree bark than a Taiwanese seed, and I love them for the cores of certain types of spirals. If a specific batch of beads I buy has an unusual amount of culls (say anything over ~5% for Japanese seed beads, or ~10% for cubes), I mention it to the person who sold them to me. They've always come through and given me some replacements, and I assume that they've complained further up the food chain to their supplier. Since I buy my beads by the half kilo or more, and usually a bunch of colors at a time, I assume that the vendor I used got a bad batch from the manufacturer. A given 5 gram tube of beads could be a bad roll of the beady dice, but a whole kilo? No way. BTW, if you like seed beading, I highly recommend buying a few colors in the large half-kilo or quarter-kilo packages (100g for cylinder beads). I go through black and white like crazy, and always buy large packages of those, in many different sizes and finishes. When you consider the cost between a tube and a bulk package, you'll be shocked at how much less your cost per gram will be by just buying those colors in bulk. The finish treatment effects the consistency of the beads as well. I seldom use galvanized beads, but when I do, I've noticed that they often have beads sticking together - I assume it's from the way that the paint dries on the beads. Matte beads tend to be smaller than shiny beads of the same type, because the etching process removes some glass. With coated beads, it's the opposite effect. But these are subtle, fussy inconsistencies - nothing that a non-beader would ever notice. So the answer to your question is that Miyuki and other Japanese beads are the most consistent seed beads you will find in today's marketplace. However, we still have not reached the stage where culling is unnecessary. I am okay with this, because the labor required for such a process would make the cost of the beads prohibitively high, and because there are times where a slight range of sizes adds interest to my work. Kathy N-V P.S.: Someday I'll give a concise answer and will fall over dead from the shock. I feel a huge emotional need to cover all the information I've found, even when asked a simple question. Mea culpa. |
#13
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Barbara Forbes-Lyons wrote:
In older catalogs they used to state that their dyna-mites were made in China or Taiwan. I don't use them so I've never paid attention to the change. Thanks for pointing it out. You're welcome. When I started doing beadweaving (When? Over two years ago?) I bought *ahem* craft store beads. They were not very satisfactory, but what did I know? Upon surfing the web, I came up with Mill Hill beads, which are probably Czech and intended for embroidery not weaving, and Cousins, which are also Czech, but worse, IMO, than craft store beads. Regardless, I was not very happy with the color selection at either place and kept looking. I found adverts for FMG and Shipwreck in B&B. I couldn't get into the Shipwreck site (some sort of server malfunction or poopy software), so I browsed FMG, and was impressed with the color selection of Dynamites. I bought some and was happy. Since I started coming here, I found Out on a Whim. I was (and am) thrilled to pieces with the color selection. Unfortunately, the tubes of beads don't come with pedigrees; some tubes of certain colors appear to be Czech, but I have no way of knowing. Not that it matters at this stage; I just work them in through careful selection. Seems to be the stages that I go through with materials. First, I start out using sow's ears to make sow's ears. Then, I move up to using real silk for silk purses, but finally I'm able to turn them ol' sow's ears into silk purses anyway. :-) Arondelle -- ================================================== ========= To email me, empty the pond with a net |
#14
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Don't give up, it's absolutely worth getting past the hurdles to learn
it. I did all brick stitch the first year I did beadweaving and I'm always reluctant to learn something new when I can just do something I know. I was very glad I went to the trouble though, when I did learn it. It's so much nicer feeling and more versatile than brick. I had trouble with the tension the first few projects but I got the hang of it and it was smooth sailing ever after. Ingrid http://www.mermaidscove.com "Even though I've sworn to NEVER to peyote again after my one experience! " |
#15
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First, I start
out using sow's ears to make sow's ears. Then, I move up to using real silk for silk purses, but finally I'm able to turn them ol' sow's ears into silk purses anyway. :-) Arondelle --------------------------------------------------------------- She's right! Check out her work: http://www.red-death.com/~beadles/index.html |
#17
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Beadbimbo wrote:
I was looking through your site, which looks great, BTW! When you did that tubular peyote bracelet, did you leave the 2mm cord in there, or do you take it out when you're finished? I haven't learned tubular peyote, so I don't have a clue. I left it inside: I put cord ends on the elastic, and beaded over them. Then, I attached the clasp to the cord ends. :-) These days, though, I just dispense with the clasps and the cord altogether and weave the ends of the tube together, forming a bangle style bracelet. However, you can't weave the peyote too tightly or it won't have enough flex to bend around smoothly. When you're up to it, you can work your tube over a short (about 6" long) piece of 1/4" dowel, mostly to give yourself something to hang onto while working. Starting a tube for a bracelet is the second most fiddley thing I can think of to do in peyote. I have to start and rip out about 5 times to get it right, no matter how many times I've done it before. (The first most fiddley thing is beading over a bead, like the ones on the Raspberries necklace or the pinecones.) =:-o Get really comfortable with the flat peyote before attempting tubes. Otherwise, you'll get too frustrated and swear never to do it again. Yeah, right... Arondelle -- living proof of Dave Barry's comment about hobbies and mental illness. -- ================================================== ========= To email me, empty the pond with a net |
#18
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Thanks! I'd like to try it. I had wondered about using something like a
dowel. I'm glad you mentionednot to weave too tightly! I never would have thought about that! I've already sworn never to follow a peyote pattern again. Lol. We'll see if I stick to that! -- Jerri www.beadbimbo.com To subscribe to my mailing list, send an e-mail to: with "Subscribe" in the subject line. "Arondelle" wrote in message news:1MMXd.75288$uc.62164@trnddc08... Beadbimbo wrote: I was looking through your site, which looks great, BTW! When you did that tubular peyote bracelet, did you leave the 2mm cord in there, or do you take it out when you're finished? I haven't learned tubular peyote, so I don't have a clue. I left it inside: I put cord ends on the elastic, and beaded over them. Then, I attached the clasp to the cord ends. :-) These days, though, I just dispense with the clasps and the cord altogether and weave the ends of the tube together, forming a bangle style bracelet. However, you can't weave the peyote too tightly or it won't have enough flex to bend around smoothly. When you're up to it, you can work your tube over a short (about 6" long) piece of 1/4" dowel, mostly to give yourself something to hang onto while working. Starting a tube for a bracelet is the second most fiddley thing I can think of to do in peyote. I have to start and rip out about 5 times to get it right, no matter how many times I've done it before. (The first most fiddley thing is beading over a bead, like the ones on the Raspberries necklace or the pinecones.) =:-o Get really comfortable with the flat peyote before attempting tubes. Otherwise, you'll get too frustrated and swear never to do it again. Yeah, right... Arondelle -- living proof of Dave Barry's comment about hobbies and mental illness. -- ================================================== ========= To email me, empty the pond with a net |
#19
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Kathy N-V wrote:
warning: long Kathy N-V-ish answer ahead, involving her scientific observations and comparisons and general geekiness. Proceed at your own peril. Other Miyuki products are not as consistent as Delicas. (And Delicas [snip detailed information] Great information, Kathy! I was wondering, have you ever posted pictures of your beadwork? Or would you consider doing so? Carol in NM -- Born to live a life of leisure, still waiting for it to happen. To reply, unleash the dog |
#20
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On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 1:41:31 -0500, FurPaw wrote
(in message ): Kathy N-V wrote: warning: long Kathy N-V-ish answer ahead, involving her scientific observations and comparisons and general geekiness. Proceed at your own peril. Other Miyuki products are not as consistent as Delicas. (And Delicas [snip detailed information] Great information, Kathy! I was wondering, have you ever posted pictures of your beadwork? Or would you consider doing so? Carol in NM I have posted pictures in the past, and they reside at www.picturetrail.com/kathynv However, the quality of such photos is terrible, and does little justice to the pieces. I'm busy reading online tutorials to help me learn better photography for the Web. Once I do so, I plan to set up a little photo rig, and then - watch out! I have several hundred pieces kicking around here that I could photograph, but haven't. Sooner or later - so I have some record of actually making things and won't inadvertently duplicate any items. Kathy N-V |
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