Seed Beading In A Nutshell
Using small, tiny beads in homemade designs is called seed beading, and its popularity around the world may surprise you. Seed beads are commonly round, about a millimeter in length, and they have a small hole drilled straight through them. They are most often used for on and off loom weaving, and are usually black in color when they are used as spacers in beaded necklaces and bracelets, but that’s not the only type of seed bead that there is. All small, glass, multicolored beads can be considered seed beading, and these mass-produced colored balls can be woven into fabric to give it a nice, shiny, glossy feel.
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needles John James 11 sharps craft seed bead beading |  $3.25 |
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English Beading Needles seed delicas bugles 10 12 13 15 | $12.95 |
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Nymo Seed Beading Thread Black White Sz OO O A B D FF | $2.87 |
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80 Grams Orange Glass Seed Beads Beading Craft 12 0 | $8.50 |
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Beading tools 10 aluminum bead sorting trays seed beads | $3.95 |
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80 Grams Yellow Glass Seed Beads Beading Craft 12 0 | $8.50 |
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BLACK GLASS 12 0 SEED BEADS 100 Grams BEADING | $3.75 |
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YELLOW GLASS 12 0 SEED BEADS 100 Grams BEADING | $3.75 |
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WHITE GLASS 12 0 SEED BEADS 100 Grams BEADING | $3.75 |
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RED OPAQUE 8 0 SEED BEAD 50G 1OZ JEWELRY BEADING MAKING | $2.96 |
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6 0 ORANGE GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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2000 20GRSZ10 ANTIQUE PURPLEGLASS SEED BEADS BEADING | $1.00 |
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PROFESSIONAL WOOD BEADING LOOM SEED BEAD TOOL | $15.49 |
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Value Pk of 50 Fine Seed Beading Needles 4 IN Sale | $2.99 |
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Delica Seed Beads Beading Earring PDF Patterns Book CD | $19.99 |
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Czech Glass Seed Beads 11 0 Hank LotCraft Beading | $2.50 |
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Light Brown Glass Seed Beads Beading 11 0 Approx 1 Kilo | $32.99 |
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WOLF Delica Seed Bead Beading Earring PDF Pattern Book | $12.99 |
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80 Grams Green AB Glass Seed Beads Beading Jewelry 12 0 | $8.50 |
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80 Grams Aqua Blue AB Glass Seed Beads Beading 12 0 | $8.50 |
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80 Grams Opaque Yellow Glass Seed Beads Beading 12 0 | $8.50 |
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80 Grams Light Orange Glass Seed Beads Beading 12 0 | $8.50 |
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80 Grams Dark Blue Glass Seed Beads Beading Craft 8 0 | $8.50 |
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80 Grams Light Blue Lined Glass Seed Beads Beading 12 0 | $8.50 |
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80 Grams Opaque Fuchsia Glass Seed Beads Beading 12 0 | $8.50 |
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ORANGERED GLASS SEED BEAD 11 0 100g BEADING BUGLES | $3.75 |
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KHAKI AQUA GLASS SEED BEAD 11 0 100g BEADING BUGLES | $3.75 |
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ORCHID BLUE GLASS SEED BEAD 11 0 100g BEADING AB color | $3.75 |
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Art of Seed Beading Elizabeth Gourley Jane Davis Ell | $6.09 |
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DARK LILAC GLASS 12 0 SEED BEADS 100 GRAM BEADING | $3.75 |
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Ruby Red 11 0 Seed Glass SL Beads 100 grams Beading | $4.29 |
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Lavender 11 0 Seed Glass Beads 100 grams Beading | $4.29 |
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8 0 GREEN GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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12 0 BLUE GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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Nymo Beading Thread Size D Brown 1584 yds Seed Bead fnb | $19.00 |
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6 0 YELLOW GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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6 0 WHITE GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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6 0 COFFEE GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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5 Necklaces Seed Beading Coconut Peru Jewelry Wholesale | $27.66 |
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GARNET COLOR GLASS 12 0 SEED BEADS 100 GRAM BEADING | $3.75 |
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BLUE VIOLET GLASS 12 0 SEED BEADS 100 GRAM BEADING | $3.75 |
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BEADING JEWELRY TRAYS CUSTOMED DESIGNED TO SPEED WORK | $5.99 |
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LIME GOLDEN GLASS 12 0 SEED BEADS 100 Grams BEADING | $3.75 |
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Pink 11 0 Seed Glass Beads 100 grams Beading | $4.29 |
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Gold 11 0 Seed Glass Beads 100 grams Beading | $4.29 |
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Clear 11 0 Seed Glass Beads 100 grams Beading | $4.29 |
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Multi 11 0 Seed Glass Beads 100 grams Beading | $4.29 |
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12 0 ORANGE GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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8 0 CREAM GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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8 0 YELLOW GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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8 0 PINK GLASS SEED BEADS BEADING SUPPLY 60 Grams | $.99 |
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2000SNOWYWEDDING WHITEGLASS SEED BEADSSZ10 BEADING | $1.00 |
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CRAFT COURSE BEADING NATURALLY W BEADS SEEDS 1972 | $7.99 |
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20 Seed Bead Storage Jars Beading Organizer Travel Tray | $5.66 |
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2000SOLIDGREENGLASSSEED BEADSSZ 10 BEADING CRAFT | $1.00 |
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1972 CRAFT BOOKLET BEADING NATURALLY W BEADS AND SEEDS | $18.75 |
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Simple Glass Seed Beading Bead Stitc Wood Dorothy N | $29.93 |
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FIRE RED 11 0 SEED BEAD 50G 1OZ JEWELRY BEADING MAKING | $2.96 |
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Beading Naturally with Beads and Seeds 70s Book | $4.25 |
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2000 REDGLASSSEED BEADSSZ 10 BEADING JEWELRY CRAFTS | $1.00 |
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Value Pk of 50 Fine Seed Beading Needles 4 IN Sale | $2.99 |
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BEADWORK Jewelry Seed Beads Craft Beading Beaded Book | $7.99 |
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BEADED PICTURE beadwork beading seed beads embroidery | $100.00 |
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2000BEADING JEWELRY COBALT BLUEGLASS SEED BEADS SZ10 | $1.00 |
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54 Seed Bead Jars Beading Storage Organizer Case | $25.51 |
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FIRE RED 6 0 SEED BEAD 50G 1OZ JEWELRY BEADING MAKING | $2.96 |
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Art of Seed Beading Gourley Davis Talbott | $9.00 |
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Itty Bitty Beady Buddies Bead Seed Beading Book | $3.99 |
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4 Tubes Yellow Crystal Glass Seed Beads Beading Parts | $5.00 |
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Clear Glass Seed Beads Jewelry Beading 6 0 Approx 350g | $22.50 |
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Dark Blue Glass Seed Beads Beading 11 0 Approx 3 4 Kilo | $29.00 |
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80 Grams Opaque White Glass Seed Beads Beading 12 0 | $5.51 |
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80 Grams Orange Lined Glass Seed Beads Beading 12 0 | $5.51 |
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Art of Seed Beading Bracelets Buttons Broaches Book | $18.00 |
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Beading with Seed Beads Gem Stones Cabochons Starr | $12.00 |
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20 GR REDGLASSSEED BEADSSZ 10 BEADING JEWELRY CRAFTS | $1.00 |
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needles John James 10 sharps craft seed bead beading | $3.25 |
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Nymo Beading Thread Size D Red 1584 yds Seed Bead fnb | $19.00 |
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Czech Glass Seed Beads 10 0 Hank LotCraft Beading | $2.79 |
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10G MIYUKI GLASS SEED BEADS ROCAILLES 11 0 BEADING | $3.49 |
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Red Glass Seed Beads Jewelry Beading 11 0 Approx 1 Kilo | $33.99 |
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Clear Glass Seed Beads Jewelry Beading 6 0 Approx 700g | $32.99 |
Packaging
There are two different types of seed beading package sizes. The first is called a hank, which is about the size of a small Ziploc bag full of seed beads. Usually, these hanks have about twelve to twenty strands of beads inside of them. The second style of packaging is by grams, which to me is much easier to understand. However, selling beads by weight seems to be purely a Japanese trend.
Does Price Affect Quality?
When buying seed beading supplies it is a good idea to go straight to the company and buy direct, rather than buying store brand beads. Most stores brands like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Kroger, Food Lion, and Piggy-Wiggly sell their own, cheaper beads, but for something that doesn’t cost that much to start with it makes no sense to save that extra few dollars by buying these cheaper knock-offs when really their quality is so poor that not even all the beads in the same pack may be the same size, let alone be without imperfections. Cheap plastic may be okay for your Boy Scout troops and your Craft Day at school, but when you are seriously using seed beading to create forms of artwork there should be no doubt in your mind on which type of beads to purchase.
The Ironic Wordplay Of Seed Beads
If I was an Agriculture teacher, I would tell my students that we were going to spend the class doing seed beading. Then, I would send them all out into the oak forest behind the high school to collect acorns. Using a power drill, I would show them how to make a neat hole through each of the acorns without crushing the outer shell. I’d tell them to thread the wire through, and when they were all done I would send my entire class to the art teacher’s room, to show her our seed beading techniques.