Guide to weaving tips according to the number of Miyuki beads

How do I choose the right tip size for the number of Miyuki beads?

Weaving tips can be used to cleanly finish a weave and transform it into jewelry, particularly a bracelet. However, it's important to choose the right size for your weaving. This guide will help you make the right choice and adapt your work if necessary.

Weaving tube tips: for what types of weaving?

Weaving tips can be used for different techniques:

• Loom weaving, where the beads are aligned in both directions and fit naturally into the ferrule.
• Peyote or brick stitch weaving, which are not initially designed to be fixed in a tip, but can be adapted by adding extra beads at the end of the weave so that they can be slid into the tip tube. Find out how to adapt these weaves to weaving attachments here : Adding beads to a Peyote weave to attach tube end caps.
• These tips can be used for other types of weaving as long as the beads can pass through the tubes and nothing blocks the passage. This is generally the case with flat herringbone weaving.

Mocha Mousse Loom Bracelet

Peyote weave bracelet

Correspondence between weave width and tip size

The values below are given as a guide. Generally speaking, a Miyuki Delica 11/0 bead is 1.3 mm high. The weave width may vary according to several factors:

• Bead finish: some beads have a coating that makes them slightly thicker.
• When weaving on a loom, threads are placed between the beads, increasing the width of the weave. The thicker the thread placed between the beads, the greater the proportional increase in width.

In all cases, it's better to use a tip that's smaller than the weave than one that's too big. Both on the loom and in needle weaving, it is possible to make tapers, i.e. to reduce the number of beads on both sides of the bracelet, and thus adapt it to a smaller bead end.

What if the tip size I want doesn't exist?

It's possible that the width of your weaving does not correspond exactly to the tip sizes available. In this case, it's best to take a smaller tip and slightly reduce the width of your weave, gradually decreasing on the first and last rows. This will ensure a good hold and a pretty finish. Here's a video showing how to make a reduction on the loom:

Sunshine Loom Bracelet