Category Archives: Bead Info & Trivia

Sharp Triangle Beads

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This new triangle shape from Miyuki has sharper edges than the original triangle beads and some of them can be a little bit irregular, similar to the 4x4mm cube bead. It looks like the more recent shipments have corrected the irregular shape, which I think might be a disappointment to the people who were taking advantage of the slightly natural and organic feel of the irregular shape, but pleasing to all the beadweavers and those who enjoy the regularity of Miyuki beads in general.

You can shop here for Sharp Triangle Beads, and Miyuki is offering some ideas and patterns on their site.

This necklace has a free pattern on the Miyuki site.

I have been using the Sharp Triangle Beads to edge my bead embroidery, because they fit together beautifully and their slight irregularity helps to hide any uneven places along the edge. You can see them used in my latest Necklace and Bracelet.

Mirrix Looms

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Mirrix Looms are simply the best portable tapestry and bead looms available anywhere. Made from a lovely combination of copper, aluminum and steel, the Mirrix Loom will last for generations to come. Their first advertisement sported the saying: “Because the Loom you weave on should be a work of art.” They got it right from the very beginning. Since they began in 1996, all Mirrix Looms have been made in the USA.

Mirrix Tapestry & Bead Looms are designed to be as functional as they are beautiful. Mirrix Looms provide exceptional strength and tension so that you can spend your time creating pieces of artwork and not doing battle with your loom. The Mirrix is as easy to set up as it is to use. From our littlest to our biggest, the Mirrix is portable whether fitting in your purse or fitting in the back seat of your car. Both the 12″ and 16″ looms come with the famous Mirrix shedding device, which raises and lowers every other thread for a true weaving experience. The looms come with the shedding device and four warp coils for many different sets, as well as a newly minted two-hour DVD that shows you how to set it up for both tapestry and bead weaving and will easily get you through the learning curve of setting up the Mirrix Loom.

Shop for Mirrix products here.

12″ Beadweaving Loom

Little Guy Lap & Table Loom – The smallest of our looms designed to accommodate both tapestry and bead weaving, The Little Guy is so cute, so portable and fits perfectly on a lap or standing on a table with two fold out legs. Weighing in at a featherweight 5 pounds, this 12 inch wide loom is a workshop goer’s dream. Weave a fiber or bead tapestry up to 9 inches wide and 22 inches.

Included: Four coils: 8, 12, 14, 18 14 dents, shedding device and handle, two large black clips, warping bar, flat wrench, allen wrench, coil bar, warping DVD, written instructions.


16″ Beadweaving Loom

Big Sister Lap & Table Loom – At 16 inches wide and weighing in at 6 pounds, the Big Sister is both bigger than her little brother and has been around longer. She was the first loom we designed! A tapestry or bead weaving 13 inches wide and 36 inches high can be woven on this elegant, compact loom. Another great workshop or travel loom, the Big Sister stands firmly on a table. This is our most popular loom both for tapestry and bead weavers or those who do combined techniques.

Included: Four coils: 8, 12, 14, 18 14 dents, shedding device and handle, two large black clips, warping bar, flat wrench, allen wrench, coil bar, warping DVD, written instructions.

Much more information is available on the Mirrix Looms site and in their blogs. If you would like to learn more about bead weaving on a loom, please take a look.

Berry Beads

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Miyuki’s new bead shape – called the Berry Bead – is like two drops combined together, or a peanut with a hole across the center. The first batch will measure 2.5 x 4.5mm and will be followed by a larger 3.5 x 5.5mm size.

There will be about 6,500 beads in a 1/4 kilo bag. The first group of colors will be mostly pastels, clears and galvanized gold and silver. Expect to see these beads later this summer!

Learning Bead Embroidery – Part One

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Lately I have been interested in bead embroidery, and looking at Beading in the Native American Tradition by David Dean made me decide it was time to start trying some new techniques. I bought some bracelet blanks and ultrasuede, flipped through The Art of Bead Embroidery – Technique, Design and Inspiration by Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini, and went to work. I learn best by looking at a lot of pictures, looking at the diagrams once, and then making a lot of mistakes.

Bead Embroidered Bracelet

At first I tried to make my design completely freeform, and that resulted in a lot of blobs which I had to cut off and rethink. I used a quarter and a nickel to trace some shapes on the ultrasuede and that seems to have given me enough structure to go on with. I am using some E6000 to pre-place the bigger elements, and then working around them with Miyuki seed beads, freshwater pearls, and some African brass beads.

Stay posted for a picture of the completed bracelet!

String-Me-Along Bag and Workspace

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String Me Along Bag

When I was asked to try out this bead project carryall, I was a little bit doubtful. I had perfected my own combination of fabric napkin and small bag stuffed with smaller zip lock bags, and found it hard to imagine that this could be any different. The String-Me-Along includes a clear, interchangeable project exchange bag (I have three) to hold supplies, and a work surface that is the unrolled bag with a velveteen interior. The whole thing rolls up and is secured with a strong elastic strap for travel, and the project exchange bags can unsnap and be exchanged for another project already in the works. It is really cool. I love mine, and it has been living in my purse since I got it.

String Me Along Bag Open

It is easy to pull it out, work for a while, and then stuff everything back in and pop it back in your bag – isn’t that the real test? Also, it has a plastic window in the back which (although I have yet to try) seems perfect for sliding in business cards or your address in case your project is left behind somewhere. It has survived the tough love that everything I own undergoes, as I run around between three jobs and try to bead in my free time. The project exchange bag has its own structure to help protect the beads inside. Some clever folks put this together, I think most beaders will need to own several! The String-Me-Along is $24.50, with an extra two-pack of project exchange bags for $12.50.

New colors of C-lon Bead Cord!

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Due to popular demand, we have another 8 lovely colors of C-lon Bead cord which just arrived – Blue Morning, Blush, Chinese Coral, Heavy Cream, Indigo, Lemongrass, Mahogany and Wheat. This brings us to a total of 104 colors!

Perfect for bead stringing, micro-macrame, bead crochet, cordmaking, kumihimo braiding, half-hitching, tapestry knotting and more.

C-lon Bead Cord Blue MorningC-lon Bead Cord BlushC-lon Bead Cord Chinese Coral
C-lon Bead Cord Heavy CreamC-lon Bead Cord IndigoC-lon Bead Cord LemongrassC-lon Bead Cord MahoganyC-lon Bead Cord Wheat

Bead Durability – Dyed and Galvanized Beads

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Warning! There are some colors and finishes that just don’t last. Any dyed or galvanized bead is very likely to fade or wear off over time. That time varies dramatically depending on use and on the person using it. Some beads will fade after just one wear, especially in hot or humid weather, or if a person has high skin acidity. A bead that wears off quickly on one customer may last for many months or years when worn by another.

Dyed beads come in a variety of pinks, purples and reds that are impossible to create except with a dyed glass. They will often fade under natural or artificial light, when in contact with skin, and after laundering or dry cleaning. Beaders often notice that there are no good substitutes for these colors, which is the reason they are still manufactured even though they will often lose their bright colors.

Possible substitutions for a dyed seed bead include opaque colors which do not run or fade.

Galvanized beads are created by an unstable surface treatment or chemical wash that give a metallic coating to the bead’s surface. They were originally designed for loom weaving for pieces that would be matted and kept under glass. The new Duracoat Galvanized beads use an improved version of this finish, but a metallic glass bead will always be preferable to a surface finish. A 24k gold plated bead (ex 11-191) will still rub off over time, even though it lasts longer than a galvanized bead. A bead with a metallic finish (11-457) will last forever. Because the bright metallic beads can only be created using a galvanized finish, they are still manufactured despite the fact that they will rub off.

Galvanized beads can begin to rub off while the beaded piece is still being created. This is especially noticeable in very small beadweaving projects (earrings and rings) where the entire project is held in the hand and turned round and round, or in sculptural projects where friction may cause the beads to rub together.

Although it may be an urban legend of the bead world, some beaders use a Krylon Workable Fixitive Spray to help maintain the finish over the long term. Please note that it is important to spray the loose beads before working on the project, and then let them dry fully. Most people spray the bag of beads and shake it around to coat it evenly. It is best to use a fresh plastic bag for each color of beads, as the Krylon may cause some of the finish to come off. Neither Miyuki nor Caravan Beads has done any long-term testing on Krylon to see what the efficiency of this process is.

Tiny Miyuki Cube Beads

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Not everyone has seen or used this extra small size of Miyuki Cube Beads, but they are extremely cute and versatile. We sell 1.8mm Miyuki cube beads in a standard wholesale package of 250 grams (approx 21,000 beads), or in a retail 9-10 gram tube (approx 850 beads). Miyuki cube beads are also known as square beads, and are available in three sizes. Square or rectangular Japanese seed beads are made as 1.8mm cube beads, 3mm cube beads, and 4mm cube beads. 1.8mm size is the smallest and is shaped the most like a square, while the 3mm and 4mm cube beads are more rectangular.

Shop for the 76 colors of 1.8mm Cube Beads here.

You can also buy the SB18 Sample Card, if you want to look at all the colors in person before you choose.

1.8mm Miyuki Cube Beads

Tiny Green 1.8mm Miyuki Cube Beads

Tiny Purple 1.8mm Miyuki Cube Beads