Long Magatama beads (LMA) have a really distinctive petal form which differs from the plump raindrop form of the 4mm Magatamas (MA4). Historically magatama beads had been comma formed beads or jewels made in prehistoric Japan from clay or stone. The phrase magatama means “curved bead” and they are often seen all through historical past. This historical bead form has been dated again so far as 1,000 BC.
Miyuki Long Magatama beads (LMA) have an attractive silhouette. Their beveled form may be very totally different than that of different seed beads. The LMA beads are reduce at an angle from again to entrance giving them their pointed, barely slanted design. The opening is close to the highest of the bead, very similar to that of a drop bead, and the angled reduce makes them seem like a leafy thorn or flower petal. When woven collectively they sit simply barely on high of each other permitting you to create dragon scales, pine cones, petals, clusters, spikes, or the rest can think about. Whether or not you’re stringing, weaving, or braiding the Lengthy Magatamas you’ll obtain a particular texture that’s distinctive to this form. The reduce of the bead permits them to take a seat barely off heart, which is nice for a lot of various kinds of tasks.
Miyuki Long Magatamas measure 4mm x 7mm with a gap dimension of 1.4mm. The big gap dimension allows them to be strung onto a skinny leather-based or permits for a number of passes of thread. If you happen to plan to do a kumihimo braid it would be best to use the C-Lon cord (CLC) with a Big-Eye Needle for simple stringing. Additionally bear in mind that when braided, your bracelet or necklace can be fairly thick. This implies you may want so as to add about an inch to your ordinary bracelet or necklace size due to the thickness of the mission.
The uniform bevel design of the LMAs means that you can create both symmetrical or asymmetrical designs. It is vital to know which kind of look you will have earlier than getting began. When making a kumihimo braid that is particularly vital as you may wish to concentrate when pre-stringing your beads so all of them are going through the appropriate course. For the “dragon scales” look you should definitely face every bead the identical manner (bevel up or bevel down.) For a extra natural/thorny vine-like form, simply string the beads randomly. The haphazard vine model appears nice spaced out with dimension 8/0 seed beads.
Lengthy Magatamas are good for spicing up your kumihimo, beadweaving, or bead-embroidery. Attempt them as edges in your embroidered items or as an accent to the top of some beaded fringe. They give the impression of being unbelievable combined with spherical seed beads in a leather-based wrap bracelets, or in a kumihimo bracelet utilizing all Lengthy Magatamas.
LMAs can be found in an array of opaque or translucent shades in addition to Picasso and metallic finishes. The big floor space of the glass in every bead catches the sunshine, so that they add extra sparkle, depth, and texture to designs. If you happen to’re utilizing the matte finishes, the look takes on a extra earthy, natural model.
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Attempt these Lengthy Magatama tasks:
