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To download PDF file of the article click on title.
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 A Vocabulary of Seed Beads
By Peter Francis, Jr.
An interesting article on the names associated with seed beads. It goes into detail on who invented the bead, a description of the bead, who first made them, where they are produced today, who uses them.
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Specialized Needles for Beaders
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
I’ll talk about other kinds of specialized needles that beaders have found useful – if not absolutely necessary
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 Choosing the right beading needle
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
As beaders, we are extremely fortunate to have a wide range of sizes and types of needles to choose from. In fact, the array can be downright bewildering. In this article, I’ll try to give you a little guidance.
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 How Pressed-Glass Beads Are Made
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
When you buy glass leaf-shaped beads, or teardrops, pendants, flowers, stars, hearts, cats, etc., do you ever stop to wonder how the bead is made?
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 How Seed Beads Are Made
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
I bet you’ve never considered just how seed beads are made. They look so simple – surely it’s a lot like extruding some plastic thing, isn’t it? If beads were made of plastic, that would be the case. But when they’re made of glass...
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 Sizing Beads
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
Knowing how to size beads is extremely important. How else can you order beads and be assured that they will be the correct size for the project you’re working on or for that repair job on your grandmother’s purse!
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 Types of Beads
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
All seed beads and bugles are made from long tubes of glass called canes. How short the canes are chopped and what happens to the chopped pieces, determines the type of bead that results.
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 Testing Beads
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
Test, test, test, and then you won't have to worry about the longevity of the colors in your beadwork. Fortunately, there are some very simple and effective testing procedures you can carry out at home.
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 Types of Glass
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
It's not surprising that most of us are unable to describe the kind of beads we are using accurately. That’s why we decided to start with some basic terms for the kinds of glass or the appearance of seed and bugle beads.
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 Surface Finishes
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
That basic look can be altered in a myriad of ways by the application of surface finishes either on the outside of the bead or within its hole.
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 More Needles You Should Know About
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
In my last two articles, I talked about needles you’ll encounter in your normal beading activities. But there are other needles you’ll want to know about.
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 Introduction to Thread
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
There are so many threads available and so many strong opinions about what thread is best that a beginner (or even an intermediate) beader can be quite puzzled over which thread to choose for a specific bead, stitch, and project.
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 About Synthetic Threads
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
The threads bead workers used were not made for them. All the threads we used came from the sewing/quilting (polyester), tailoring (Silamide), upholstery (Nymo), or fishing (rod-winding, monocord, Power Pro, and aramid) industries
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 Designing Beadwork Part 1
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
As a teacher and an artist, I know that one of the most challenging things about beadwork is creating original designs. So many of my students have no formal “art” training and think that they can’t draw.
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 Designing Beadwork Part 2
by Virginia Blakelock and Carol Perrenoud
Last month I talked about the use of transparent and plain graph papers to help you plan designs for beadwork. If you’ve tried to design for yourself already, you’ve probably noticed some interesting things about the different weaves.
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 Charlotte Cut Seed Beads
by Guy Lynn
Charlotte-cut seed beads are the Cadillac of seed beads, their single cut facet making them sparkle and shimmer. Considering how popular they are, they are very hard to get in any form of consistency.
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