This is the first post in my bead-weaving basics series, aiming to help those new to bead-weaving get started with bead-weaving and help more experienced bead-weavers understand more about the beads they use. You think beads are just beads, until you start bead-weaving and suddenly there is a whole new world of sizes, shapes, coatings and options you had never considered, which can be very confusing for beginners and intermediate beaders alike. This post will help you get to grips with different types of seed bead, how to understand seed bead sizes and what different coatings mean.
What is bead-weaving?
Beadweaving takes small glass seed beads and weaves them together using special beading needles and beading thread to create a beaded fabric. Just like in knitting, crochet and embroidery, there are different stitches, and these can be combined to create a variety of 2D and 3D shapes. Most bead-weaving creates jewellery, but all manner of objects can be beadwoven.
What are seed beads?
Seed beads are small glass beads used in jewellery making, bead-weaving, bead embroidery and cross-stitch. They are called seed beads because they are small, like seeds! And vary from “thats a decent sized bead”, through “gosh that’s small”, to “theres a hole in that!?” they are sometimes called round seed beads or rocailles.
Understanding seed bead sizes
Seed beads are usually referred to by a number, which refers to how many of that size you can fit side by side in an inch. Size 15 or 11 for example. Occasionally they are written 15/0 or 11/0, but it means the same thing. In the photo below you can see that there are 8 beads, side by side with the holes facing up, to 1 inch. So that makes these size 8 or 8/0.
The most common sizes you will see in bead-weaving range from; size 15, size 11, size 10, size 9, size 8 and size 6. There are other sizes on either side of these, but you rarely see them used in patterns or projects.
Here you can compare size 15, 11, 8 and 6.
If seed beads are described by size (2mm or 3mm), or come in cheaper mixes, they may not all look the same. Now for normal threaded bracelets, necklaces, or some stitching, this isn’t an issue.
But in bead-weaving, the beads need to lock together and although they will still work, differently sized beads are harder to weave and the finished result won’t be as neat. So try to pick out beads that look similar, preferably like the middle bead below.
You can roughly convert seed bead sizes in mm by the chart below, or by seeing how many you can fit side by side (with holes facing up!) you can fit in an inch.
- Size 15 = 1.5mm
- Size 11 = 2.5mm
- Size 8 = 3mm
- Size 6 = 4mm
Which seed beads should I buy?
If you are looking to begin bead-weaving, I recommend buying Czech Glass seed beads by Preciosa, as they are fairly consistent in size and shape, but not too expensive. The other types of seed beads are Japanese seed beads from Miyuki or Matsuno, which are almost perfectly consistent, but are the most expensive. Buying cheaper bags or sets of seed beads is fine as a starting point, but these are often very inconsistent in size and shape, making bead-weaving more tricky, so avoid them if you can.
Where to buy seed beads?
There are specialist Bead Shops which have the best selection of seed beads available. I favour these over general hobby and craft shops, who will only have a limited choice. Every bead shop will have a slightly different range, because there are so many seed beads on the market, that one shop can’t sell everything. I am based in the UK, and these are my favourite Bead Suppliers:
Feel free to drop the link to your favourite bead suppliers in the comments, especially my international readers.
How are cylinder beads different from seed beads?
Sometimes you might see patterns that ask for cylinder or Delica beads. These are a special type of seed bead with straight sides, as against the rounded sides of normal seed beads. They are Japanese seed beads, developed by Miyuki, although other Japanese makers like Toho now create their own cylinder beads. Cylinder beads come in size 15, size 11 and size 8, but most patterns that call for Delicas will mean size 11, so much so that they often don’t specify a size, and will just say Delicas. Generally, if a pattern requires cylinder beads, it will say so. If it doesn’t specify, use round seed beads.er in stitches like brick stitch, where the sides of the beads lock together. But sometimes they are just used to create a more modern style or to emphasise the look of a stitch. They don’t work for every stitch or in every pattern, so you can’t automatically swap out round seed beads for cylinder or vice-versa.
Seed beads coatings
Seed beads not only come in many different colours, but different finishes too! These can describe how the colour looks or different coatings over the top of a colour. The most common are
Opaque; solid bold, block colours.
Transparent; see-through, glass like beads.
Silver-lined; transparent beads with a bright shiny silver core
Pearl; not only traditional pearl colours, but any colour that has a pearlescent coating.
AB; stands for aurora borealis, (the northern lights) and is a subtle hint of iridescent colour on top of an opaque or transparent bead.
Iridescent; usually an opaque metallic colour, with a bright oil slick of colours over the top.
Seed beads manufacturers are always coming up with new coatings and colours. Preciosa currently have PermaLuxe, which is a bold matt finish, and SolGel a more subtle, semi-translucent finish.
I’ll be back with a post about beading needles and threads soon! To make sure you don’t miss it, sign up to my email The Loop and follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Tiktok.
