I have been getting a ton of questions lately, related to the topic of beading thread and needles. What size to use and what kind of beading thread, along with the question of what beading needles are the best to use?
Because of the sudden curiosity and eagerness to know these answers, I figured a blog post would be the best course of action. So, let's jump into it!
The image above, I felt was a good, simple chart or 'rule of thumb' to follow when trying to decide what needle and thread to use for your bead project. I will mostly be going over what is related and most common to bead loom work, as well as giving my own opinion in this blog.
Beading Needles:
When it comes to picking out what beading needle to use for your bead project, there is a handful of criteria you should think about before deciding. This can include:
- Length of the needle
- Size of needle
- Style of the needle (stiff, twisted, bigger eye, etc.)
- Type of needle (English, Japanese, etc.)
- Brand of needle
Beading needles are fairly cheap, so if you are new to beading I would suggest looking at all of your options and choosing a few that you think you may like, then trying them out. Hopefully I will give you enough useful information in this blog to help you make your decision.
Size Of Needles:
When we talk about beading needles for loom work, the biggest factor that will decide what size needle to use is going to be determined by what size your beads are. Just like with beads, the bigger the number is, the thinner your needle is going to be. The most common sizes for _0loom work are 10 or 12. Size 11 needles I personally do not see often in store or in the beading needle packs I have bought. These sizes are most common because most of us that do bead loom, are working with 8/0 beads or smaller.
Another thing you want to take into consideration, is the size of the hole of whatever brand of bead you are using. In bead looming we pass through 1 row of beads a minimum of 2 times. You want to make sure that the needle you're using it going to easily pass through your beads, especially when passing through them multiple times. The size of thread you pick also plays a role in this, but we will go over that later in part 2 if this blog.
So to recap, the bigger the number on the needle package, the thinner the needle is. Just like with beads, the bigger the number, the smaller the bead. It's recommended that a size 10 or 12 needle is usually suitable for bead loom projects.
Really when you think about it, bead looming & peyote beading are really the only beading crafts that needles are necessary...
Style Of Needle:
There are many different styles of needles out there. You have regular looking needles, split needles, big eye needles, long and short needles, etc. There's a lot. Here is a photo that shows a good variety of them.
There is no right style of needle to use. It really is whatever you prefer. Apart from the needle with the curve at the end (bottom left corner in photo), you use those types of needles when you use a beading wheel. You twist the middle the bead bowl that has a bunch of beads in it and as it spins the needle catches the beads and threads them onto your beading thread you have through the needle. Kinda cool!
Anyways, let's go over a few more different styles from the collage above.
Twisted Needles:
You have your twisted needles (bottom right corner). You can see they have a bigger eye to thread your beading thread through. Then the eye actually folds in half to secure your thread and fit through your beads. These needles are quite flimsy and are only meant to be used once. I personally have used a few of them for one project, but because they are quite flimsy, Not my personal choice.
Collapsible Eye Needles:
(Top middle photo, Beadalon packaging) Same exact concept as the eye in the twisted needles. Except the rest of the needle is a solid piece. Not twisted. These tend to secure your beading thread better. They too are a bit flimsy, definitely not as flimsy or flexible as the twisted needles.
Split Needles:
(Top right photo) These needles are the most odd to me. Essentially how they work, the entire middle portion of the needle comes apart for you to put your thread through, then closes again. I understand having a bigger opening to put your thread through. But it seems a little excessive to me. That's just my opinion, if you disagree, you're valid to have your opinion also. I do think because of the splitting however, it makes the needle as a whole more flimsy and prone to bending easily. Which I'm not a fan of. I believe these are considered 1 use needles as well.
A Tip To Threading Your Needle!
Whichever needle you decide you like best is totally up to you. And all that matters is that you're comfortable using it.
Here is my best tip to successfully threading your beading needle, or really any needle with a small eye.
Make sure your thread is straight, whether you wet it directly in your mouth, lick your fingers then straighten the thread, whatever works.
Hold your thread about 3-4 cm (about an inch) up. If I'm looking straight ahead, I like to hold my thread closest to me, then my needle in front. Sometimes I'll do it the opposite way.
Make sure you're eye level with the eye of the needle, and your thread level with the middle of the eye, about 1 cm away. Now here's the biggest tip!
Bring your needle to your thread! Not try and stick the thread through the eye.
You can move towards each other at the same time. But guiding your needle to your thread will help you be more successful. I don't know why. I read about this trick 3-4 years ago and it works great. I've never really had a hard time threading my needle, but since doing this, I nail it 100% of the time!
Try it out and let me know how it goes in the comments!
Type Of Needle:
There are really only 2 common types of beading needles; English and Japanese.
English beading needles and long, thin and more flexible. Which because of the flexibility, they tend to start bending. Some beaders like to work with a bent needle, I am not one of them. But if you are, you probably like English beading needles more! The most common sizes for these needles are 10 and 12.
Japanese beading needles are just like English beading needles; long, thin, flexible. However they are much stronger than an English beading needles, but still provide a degree of flexibility to them. It takes a lot more for a Japanese beading needle to start to curve or bend, as they are literally made of steel. Tulip needles are the most common brand of Japanese beading needle. Let me just say, they are amazing! And definitely my favorite beading needle to work with. They come in different sizes, but do not come in different styles, like twisted, collapsible eye, etc.
I hope I have given you some good information for you to go out and have a better idea what kind of needle you may want to use. I did not mean to sway you in any direction, only to give my own experience and personal opinion. Please! If you want to try a twisted needle, go for it!
Watch out for part 2, I will be breaking down beading threads. The best to use, what size to use? What about brand? You'll have to wait and see!
Until next time friends!
- Maddy
Comentarios