Prevent Bugle Beads from Cutting your Thread

Do you love to work with bugle beads in your beadwork but hate the way that their sharp edges cut through your beading thread? Here's a great way to keep the bugle beads from from cutting through your thread.

First, inspect your bugle beas. If they are very rough or sharp at the edges, make sure you can incorporate a small seed bead as a "buffer". You can place a seed bead at the end of each bugle so that the thread will exit (and have its tension over) a seed bead instead of the edge of a bugle bead. Most beading projects are not so exacting as to be disturbed by this small change of size and you'll be so much happier with fewer cut threads. You can even use the added seed beads as a design element - just take the project colors into account and use a similar or contrasting color or a slightly diferent finishe in the seed bead glass versus the bugle bead glass.

Some beaders have suggested that filing or sanding the edge of a bugle bead wil help cut down on cutting, but I don't recommend this. It is too easy to have the bugle break in your hands, causing injury or to have the edge chip more after it has been filed. Plus, it is pretty time-consuming to file down 200 or so bugle beads, so if you need to use bugle beads, try edging them with the seed bead to make your beading flow smoothly.