This project sees a simple linen dress upgraded with a beaded neckline and hem. A linen dress like this is great for daytime, cool at nights and great for travel. It takes up little room in a suitcase and creases fall out of it quickly with no ironing. I love the colours in the pattern and was fortunate enough to have on hand, a bottle of seed beads with a mix of colours matching the design of the fabric pattern. So let's upgrade the dress to make it suitable for day-time wear, evening outings and hot weather excursions and trips.
I used a bias tape in this project to support the linen fabric and hold the weight of the beads. This fabric is actually quite light which makes it great for hot weather.
However the beads do accumulate weight when added consistently to a garment. If you want to reduce this weight, then a thinner row of beading may be appropriate.
To ensure that the bias tape runs smoothly around the curved neckline, I pulled the tape into a curve as I ironed it.
A simple basting stitch was used down each side of the tape to hold it in place. This stitching practically disappeared into the pattern of the fabric. If your stitching is still visible, don't worry. The beads should cover it completely anyway.
Each row of beads was a set of 4 seed beads which was close to the width of the tape. Every 4th row of beads, was anchored by an overstitch at the back of the work.
My mix of beads included some reflective white/silver seed beads which added a bit of sparkle. I did try to randomise the colours of the beads to avoid patches of any particular colour across the garment.
Alternatively, you can choose your colours as you work the strip of beads to deliberately form a colour pattern or ombre effect.
Simple and pretty.
A couple of takeaways from this project.
I understand now why commercial fashion put sequins and beads on only the front of garments! It's not just to save money. I think it looks more luxurious to have beading on the back of a garment however - beware. The beading around the hem will be sat on and brushed against in normal wear. There is a risk of beads at the back of the hem being snagged and abraided. It's not simply that threads may break and beads will come loose, but the beads themselves may become worn looking or damaged.
Secondly, the weight of these beads really shows in the beadwork at the hem. The start of the video shows the dress moving in the breeze. This movement is partially lost because of the weight of those beads and I think this takes something away from the light summery feel of the garment. I was a little surprised by the overall weight of the finished garment. The beads now weigh more than the original dress. This is a factor to consider for a travel garment which will be weighed at airports along with the rest of your luggage.
Happy Beading!