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Friday, February 19, 2016

So, how do those beads fit together?
2-Hole Bead Primer

2-hole beads are now a mainstay at bead sores - including BeadFX! There are lots of books featuring how to use these wonderful beads and beading magazines that show amazing eye candy with all of the shapes available. It can, however, be confusing as to what all of the beads are and which ones fit together.

We've put together the following information about the 2-hole beads that BeadFX carries, including a list of which beads seem to line up together. Note: our methods are totally unscientific! We simply lined up beads on two parallel headpins. Stitching through the beads should give you a little more leeway.

With so many beads to discuss, this blog posting is a little long (well, a lot long!). Paper copies are  available in-store.

Czech-Mates Beads

CzMates Bar
The Bar is a shaped bead in the Czech-Mates bead system. The holes will match up with other Czech-Mates 2-hole beads. From the front, the width is consistent the entire length of the bead with rounded ends. From the side, the bead is also consistent along the length.


CzMates Brick
The Brick, also part of the Czech-Mates bead system is a good alternative design option to the Bar but thicker. Both are uniform the entire length and width, but the Brick's ends are not as rounded.





CzMates Triangle
The Triangle is another bead in the Czech-Mates system. It features a pointed side and will add texture to a finished piece. When using the triangle, it is important to note which hole you will need to pick-up so that it faces the way you want it to.



CzMates Lentil
The 2-hole Lentil, a Czech-Mates bead, is a 2-hole flat, round lentil shaped bead. It measures 6mm in diameter. The 2 holes run through the centre approximately 2.8mm apart.



CzMates Dagger
The Czech-Mates 2-hole Daggers can be featured in a number of patterns to add an interesting edging. They measure 5mm x 16mm x 4mm with 2 horizontal holes.




Compatibility
All Czech-Mates beads fit together with holes lining up ready for stitching or wirework uses.









Other Two-Hole Beads

SuperDuo Beads
From the front, the SuperDuo bead has a fairly even width the length of the bead and has rounded ends. From the side, you can see that it's thicker in the middle with a little bump in the centre between the two holes.



Twins
Although similar to the SuperDuo, the Twin is more oval - wider in the middle and narrow and rounded at the ends. From the side, the bead is without the bump with tapered ends.




Mini-SuperDuo
Like their big brother the SuperDuo, but mini! Two-hole ovals with pinched ends with an overall size of 4mm x 2mm.





Rulla
The Rulla is a cylindrical bead with two holes side-to-side. The bead measures 3mm x 5mm.





2-Hole Flat Square Tile
This bead featues two parallel holes running side-to-side and lightly rounded corners. The bead measures 6mm x 6mm x 3mm.





2-Hole Chexx Squarlet
These are fairly thick for their size and have two holes on a 3mm centre running front to back. The bead measures 6mm x 6mm x 3mm.




2-Hole Lentil
This is a 2-hole lentil bead and measures 6mm in diameter. Add them to your bead weaving projects for texture and variety.





Honeycomb
The Honeycomb is a 2-hole, 6-sided hex shaped bead and they fit together beautifully. The bead measures 6mm x 6mm. The side-to-side holes are approximately 2 x 07.







Chilli Beads
This is 2-hole bead from Preciosa. A new and interesting shape - a hollowed out petal shape - with two holes running from front to back. It's overall measurement is 4mm x 11mm.




Infinity Beads
Resembling an infinity loop, the Infinity bead is fairly thick and measures 3mm x 6mm.





Tango Bead
The 2-hole Tango bead is a wedge-shaped triangle with two stringing holes that run diagonally through the shape, from the base of the triangle through one of the sides.






Piggy Beads
This bead is a concave cup (resembling a half bubble), with two holes, one in the centre and one to the side about 3mm apart. The overall measurement is 8mm x 8mm x 4mm.



Tila Beads
Tilas are thin, flat 2-hole tile beads made in Japan. The overall size is 5mm x 5mm x19mm; hole size is 2 x .08.







Half Tila Bead
Literally half a Tila! Also thin and flat; two stacked together will equal one Tila bead. Made in Japan. Overall measurement is 5mm x 2.3mm x 1.9mm; hole size is 2 x .08.









Overall Compatibility
Beads are not created equal and are manufactured by different companies. Compatibility is not guaranteed between various manufacturers.

By placing the beads on parallel headpins, we have found that the following beads seem to be compatible.

Group A:
  • Czech-Mates family of beads
  • Chexx Squarelet
  • Rulla
  • Flat Square Tiles
  • Bricks
  • 2-Hole Lentils
  • Honeycomb
  • Chilli beads
  • Infinity beads
  • Tango beads
  • Piggy beads

Group B:
  • SuperDuos
  • Twins
  • Mini SuperDuos
  • Tilas
  • Half Tilas

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