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.
       
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Materials -
Japanese Beading Needles
C-lon Beading Thread (Royal)
Miyuki Drop Beads (DP-452)
2 Flower Bead Caps
2 links of Chain
2 Earwires
Step 1 – Use right angle weave to make a small beaded bead with Miyuki drop beads. Add four drop beads to your thread, sew back through them to make a small square. Tie off your thread and cut off the tail end.
Step 2 – Add another three drop beads, sew back through the original drop bead the thread was leaving from to make a figure eight comprised of seven drop beads.
Step 3 – Sew through two drop beads so your thread is exiting a drop bead at the end of your figure eight. Add three more drop beads and sew around again so you have a series of three small squares and your thread is exiting a drop bead at the end of the series.
Step 4 – Add one drop bead and sew through the drop bead at the opposite end of the series to connect the two ends. Add a second drop bead and sew back through the bead at the first end so you have made a little beaded ball of drop beads.
Step 5 – Sew up through the silver bead cap and around the chain link a bunch of times, knotting frequently. Sew back down into your beaded bead, evening out as necessary and sew in your end and cut it off.
Step 6 – Add the earwire, and repeat for the second earring.
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.
Materials -
6′ of C-Lon Bead Cord (2 colors)
1 Big Eye Needle
1 tube of 6/0 Miyuki Seed Beads (6-401FR)
4′ of leather
Step 1 – Fold the leather in half and double around to make a knot and loop at the center.
Step 2 – Wrap the C-Lon bead cord just below the knot in the leather several times. Sew around and back through the wrapped thread and tie off.
Step 3 – Add a 6/0 seed bead to your thread. Sew one color over the right hand leather, through the bead, and under the left hand piece of leather. Take the 2nd color of cord and sew over the left hand leather, through the bead, and under the right hand piece of leather . This is just like a macrame square stitch.
Step 4 – Repeat until the desired length is reached. Add a bead or a button for the clasp. Tie off the leather and wrap the C-Lon bead cord just below the knot in the leather several times. Sew around and back through the wrapped thread and tie off.
Our wholesale customers can shop for C-lon Bead Cord here.
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.
Materials -
Japanese Beading Needles
C-lon Beading Thread (Burgundy)
2 Tubes of Long Magatamas (LMA-134F)
1 Tube of 11/0 Miyuki Seed Beads (11-641)
1 Tube of 15/0 Miyuki Seed Beads (15-460)
3mm Copper Heishi
Copper S Clasp
Step 1 – Tie your thread securely around one end of the clasp. Add one 15/0 seed bead and three 11/0 seed beads (repeat pattern) until desired length is reached. Finish with one 15/0 seed bead, and knot around the other end of the clasp. Then thread back through all the beads to reinforce the top row.
Step 2 – Add three 11/0 seed beads, one 15/0 seed bead, one Magatama, one heishi and one 15/0 seed bead. Skip the bottom 15/0 seed bead (stopper bead) and sew back up through the heishi, Magatama, and 15/0 seed bead.
Step 3 – Add three 11/0 seed beads and sew through the 15/0 seed bead that is next in the top row, sewing away from the clasp end you are closest to in your work.
Step 4 – Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until one third of the necklace is completed.
Step 5 – Repeat Step 2 and then instead of adding beads and going back to the top, add three 11/0 seed beads one 15/0 seed bead, one Magatama, one heishi and one 15/0 seed bead. Skip the bottom 15/0 seed bead (stopper bead) and sew back up through the heishi, Magatama, and 15/0 seed bead. Then sew back up through the three 11/0s, so your thread is next to the top Magatama. Add three 11/0 seed beads and sew through the 15/0 seed bead that is next in the top row, sewing away from the clasp end you are closest to in your work.
Step 6 – Repeat Step 5 until about 5 sections from the middle of the necklace. Continue to increase your branch to 3 Magatama drops and then 4 Magatama drops for the center four sections of the necklace. (A section is the space between two of the 15/0 seed beads in the top row.
Step 7 – Reduce the length of your Magatama drops back to 3 and then 2 and 1, mirroring the other side of your necklace. Sew in ends, and complete.
These new 2-hole Tila beads from Miyuki are gorgeous and just what we’ve been waiting for – and we’ll have to keep waiting until the end of July for the first shipment to arrive.
If you hurry, you can be one of the first to buy a Tila Bead Sample Card, or pre-order them now if you are already in love with the new Tila Beads, because we expect the first ones to go very very quickly.
They measure 5 x 5 x 1.9mm with .8mm double holes, and are first being produced in 30 colors. The first Tila Bead colors include some metallics, matte-metallics, whites and transparents, blacks and grays.
As you can see from some of the photos Miyuki has sent us, they can be used in some really neat and unexpected ways. Stay posted to see our first experiments using the Tila Bead samples they sent us.
Personally, I just have to say “LOVE!”
You can see the colors as well as look at the new beads (soon) here on the Caravan Beads site.
I have been a crafty person as long as I can remember. I have dabbled in crochet, knitting, sewing, cross stitch, woodworking, and beadwork, but my first creative love is modular geometric origami. In this medium, several pieces of paper are folded into “modules” which are then assembled together to form the completed origami object. I was quite pleased to discover that I could form similar structures with beads! These “beaded beads” form the basic components of my jewelry designs, and range from simple clusters for a delicate pair of earrings, to highly detailed structures for a beautiful pendant!
I use the highest quality materials in my work; all my glass beads and seed beads are of the highest quality, and I only use sterling silver, gold-fill, or vermeil metal components. While my beaded bead designs work best with regularly-shaped beads such as Czech pressed glass and Swarovski crystal, I enjoy incorporating freshwater pearls, semiprecious stones, and even handmade lampwork beads into my designs.
In addition to creating jewelry, I also write and illustrate tutorials that detail how to construct my beaded designs. These tutorials contain fully-illustrated step-by-step instructions on how to construct the basic beaded structure, tips to troubleshoot possible problems, and numerous photographs of completed pieces as well as interesting variations. I love to see what my students create with my tutorials, and I invite you to create your own inspired designs along with me!
To see more of my beadwoven designs, check out my website at www.beadorigami.com, my blog at beadorigami.blogspot.com, and my Etsy shop at beadorigami.etsy.com.
Materials -
6′ of C-Lon Bead Cord (Cyan)
1 Big Eye Needle
1 tube of 6/0 Miyuki Seed Beads (6-2405FR)
4′ of leather
Step 1 – Fold the leather in half and double around to make a knot and loop at the center.
Step 2 – Wrap the C-Lon bead cord just below the knot in the leather several times. Sew around and back through the wrapped thread and tie off.
Step 3 – Add a 6/0 seed bead to your thread. Sew around the top piece of leather, back down through the bead in the back, then sew back up through the bead in the front. Each bead will have the C-lon bead cord pass through it in the back and the front of the leather, holding it in place.
Step 4 – Loop the C-Lon bead cord around the top piece of leather, add a 6/0 seed bead, loop around the bottom piece of leather, and then sew back up through the bead in the front.
Step 5- Repeat until the desired length is reached. Add a bead or a button for the clasp. Tie off the leather and wrap the C-Lon bead cord just below the knot in the leather several times. Sew around and back through the wrapped thread and tie off.
This design could be made with 3 or 4 pieces of leather for added oomph!
Our wholesale customers can shop for C-lon Bead Cord here.
Our friends Claudia and Elena have asked us to tell you about “Social Network For a Mirrix” which will be launched in late April. For now, they are accepting applications for participants. You will get a FREE Mirrix 12″ “Little Guy” Loom (http://www.mirrixlooms.com/looms.html) worth $230 in exchange for blogging, taking pictures, making videos and simply sharing with the online world your experience using the loom. If you have ANY questions, ask here or email Elena Zuyok, Marketing Director at elena@mirrixlooms.com.
On Wednesday, April 7th they will choose two people who will receive FREE 12” Mirrix Looms in exchange for 3 months of consistent blogging, tweeting, Facebooking and YouTube posting about their experience with the loom. Applications will be considered both from the experienced weaver and the newbie and from both bead and tapestry weavers. The only thing they ask is that our participants are experienced with social media and possess the technology necessary to do things like take pictures and videos. They will choose applicants based on their social networking abilities, perceived passion for weaving and writing/photographing/videoing ability.
They will choose one TAPESTRY weaver and one BEAD weaver plus two runners-up who will get a 25% discount on a loom and if/when they decide to buy one, will be required to post once-a-week blog posts for 3 months.
REQUIREMENTS if chosen:
(contract will be sent out for signing at time of decision)
-Blog AT LEAST four (4) days a week at least 250 words a day.
-Submit at least one (1) video every two weeks to YouTube.
-Post at least one picture with every blog post.
-Post about your experience on Twitter and/or Facebook and other relevant social networking sites or emails lists at least two (4) times a week.
-and more..
The application can be found here:
http://www.mirrixlooms.com/marketing.html
