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Bead bowl update
Feb. 20th, 2010 02:08 pmShort version: monochrome bead mixes work very nicely indeed.
Long version: After stocking up on Ming Tree 11/0 beads in three colorways (and on the special J-hook needles!), I set to work. In each case I mixed equal parts of four beads – lined, opaque, transparent and luster – and I'm pleased with how that worked out.
Something I learned making earrings : when one strings transparent and opaque beads in the same piece, the eye is tricked into seeing the opaque beads as larger, giving an impression of texture that I like a lot. That's especially apparent in the blue, where the turquoise opaque really stands out.
More things I learned: You get what you pay for. Ming Tree is a bargain-basement brand of beads for a reason. They are great for stringing like this, but I wouldn't use them for, say, peyote stitch, because they are very uneven in size and shape compared to even mid-range beads like Matsuno DynaMites. Also, color-lined beads do not play well with the big-eye bead-bowl needles – the holes are often too small and jam on the needle and if you force them over the eye, the eye will break. (Guess how I know? *g*)
( Individual pix behind the cut )
Bottom line: I am so doing more of this. *g*
Long version: After stocking up on Ming Tree 11/0 beads in three colorways (and on the special J-hook needles!), I set to work. In each case I mixed equal parts of four beads – lined, opaque, transparent and luster – and I'm pleased with how that worked out.
Something I learned making earrings : when one strings transparent and opaque beads in the same piece, the eye is tricked into seeing the opaque beads as larger, giving an impression of texture that I like a lot. That's especially apparent in the blue, where the turquoise opaque really stands out.
More things I learned: You get what you pay for. Ming Tree is a bargain-basement brand of beads for a reason. They are great for stringing like this, but I wouldn't use them for, say, peyote stitch, because they are very uneven in size and shape compared to even mid-range beads like Matsuno DynaMites. Also, color-lined beads do not play well with the big-eye bead-bowl needles – the holes are often too small and jam on the needle and if you force them over the eye, the eye will break. (Guess how I know? *g*)
( Individual pix behind the cut )
Bottom line: I am so doing more of this. *g*
