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Bead Basics
I highly recommend that you have a metric ruler right at hand when shopping on-line for beads, which are measured in millimeters. The most commonly used beads for making fringe are glass seed and bugle beads, used alone or combined, and often with larger, fancier beads. Many of the bead sites (on the Embellishment Supplies list) have bead facts pages, and you'll find more bead-crafting sources on the Other Sources list.
My favorite bead thread is Silamide, a tailoring thread commonly used for bead work, that has no give to it as does Nymo and other bead threads I've tried. When making fringe and tassels, if the thread stretches, eventually a gap can open at the top of each strand from the weight of the beads. It's available via bead sources, as well as professional sewing suppliers.
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Seed beads, which come in many sizes and finishes, are sized backwards—the larger the number, the smaller the bead. So a size 5/0 seed bead (also known as a pony bead) is comparatively large, and a size 28/0 is so teensy-tiny I can't imagine how they could be used. Size 11/0 is the most popular size. Seed beads are mostly sold by the gram or the hank, the latter being the most economical. You get about 4,000 beads to the average hank of size 11/0 beads, and you'll use approximately 16-17 beads per inch (2.5 cm).
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Bugle beads are tiny glass tubes in lengths from 2 mm to 30 mm. They also come by the gram or hank. You get approximately 1524 2-mm beads per hank, 4 beads per inch [2.5 cm]). Use an emery board to smooth sharp edges on bugle beads, if you run into a problem with them fraying or cutting your thread. Check out Old Style Trading Company bead facts page, where I got this information and pictures (site also on Embellishment Supplies list).
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