Adding beads to things, especially garments, is one of the many joys of sewing.
Beads come in many shapes and sizes.
In this second video on beading, we look at four more easy ways to add beads to a flat surface.
Technique 1 – with a smaller bead
By adding a smaller bead on the thread after your main bead, you can take the thread back down the bead hole, and secure it to the fabric. The smaller bead stops the thread from pulling all the way through the bead hole.
As with the methods shown in our first video, a small knot or a tiny back stitch (on the back of the fabric) every few beads can help secure the beads against pulling.
Technique 2 – couching
By threading the beads and laying them over the surface of the fabric, they can then be secured by couching that thread to the surface of the fabric. One big advantage of this method is that you can use pre-strung beads, and the line that they follow can be simple or intricate.
There is an example of couching a string of fused beads to a child’s dress in the video. Not only is this a very quick way of adding beads, but being fused to the string, they will not loosen and fall off.
Technique 3 – lazy stitch
Sometimes you don’t want to add the beads one at a time, and at these times lazy stitch is your friend. Attaching the beads in groups, they can lie in a line, with a tiny stitch through they fabric between each group. Or you can stitch them horizontally, creating a thick band, as in our project Serena. Or like our sample, you can create an effect similar to stem stitch, where the start of the new group slightly overlaps with the end of the last.
Technique 4 – loops and clusters.
Another way of adding beads in groups is by making loops and clusters. The difference between this method and lazy stitch is that the start and end point for the group of beads is the same, forming a loop on the surface of the fabric.
If you like, you can anchor the loop with another stitch, to keep it in place. Loops have enough beads to make an open shape, while clusters will have fewer beads and create a small collection of beads on the fabric surface.
Beading Project - Serena - Beaded Linen Dress
In our project dress Serena, the style of the dress inspired the placement of the beads which were a happy mix that coordinated well with the colours of the fabric.
See comments on this project on our website.
Our lazy couching uses the design lines of the dress to suggest where to stitch the fused beads.
In Diana, our Tiara Day t-shirt, we created a design to hang our sparkles on.
Watch Diana to see how we added a touch of sparkle to a printed t-shirt.
Watch our beading project – Serena – where beads are used to lift a linen dress.
Watch the Beading on the Flat 2 video on YouTube
Have a look at our first beading video tutorial - Beading on the Flat 1