Make totally unique jewelry with EyeKandy Creations !: What You'll Need, General Info & Tips

I wanted to create a page with just tips and general information for easy access.

NEEDLES: The most important factor in choosing your needle is the size of the hole in your beads. Also, you should factor in the stitch you'll be using. Some stitches require beads to be threaded more than once. For the most part, a typical needle will work. I like to double my thread for durability, this makes the space in your beads even smaller. I usually use

I get these needles at Hobby Lobby for around$2.00. It can be a little tricky to thread these needles and they are easier to break, but trust me it's much better than breaking your beads trying to pull to much through them. This is a tip I wish someone had shared with me. I learned this the hard way. It's still a good idea to have some sort of pliers handy to sometimes help pull the needle through (not all the holes will be uniform).

THREAD: One of the most important factor choosing your stitching material is how durable you need it to be. The neat thing about stitching your jewelry is the added color from the visible thread can add uniqueness and contrast to your piece. BUT typical sowing thread is not very durable. Obviously if you are selling the piece you want it to be strong. I like to use upholstery thread. It comes in 7 or 8 muted colors and costs about $2.50 at Hobby Lobby. If it is for yourself or someone you know, feel free to use any color or type of thread you wish. Just treat it delicately.

32 Gauge Wire

WIRE: You can also use wire. The higher the gauge the thinner the wire. Once again don't forget to think about your hole sizes in your beads when choosing the gauge. 24 - 32 gauge wire should be fine , but I also want to say wire this thin is not very durable. So once again treat it delicately.

GENERAL TOOLS: I don't have a lot of tools to use when stitching jewelry, just your basics

TIPS: I'll add tips as I think of them :)
* I LOVE using wood beads - one problem, a lot of times the holes in wood beads are a little rough. I use a round file to run through it to smooth it out. I know it is a big pain, but the thread can snag when pulling it through so it's not as strong.
*Some stitches use quite a lot of beads. 4 mm seed beads work great but the less expensive packs tend to vary in size, a lot. You just need to be a little more choosy when using them or you can spend the extra money for the smaller packs.
* Gemstone beads CAN break or crack when dropped, whether they are solo or already stitched.
* When possible I like to add my pendants into the stitch. You do this differently depending on the stitch your using.