Bead embroidery has been popular for more than one century. This enjoyable hobby helps to relax, but requires a certain amount of patience. Following the simple steps described below, you can easily learn to embroider with beads.
Read to the end before proceeding.
- You need to choose a pattern for embroidery. It is desirable that it be simple. You can use cross stitch patterns.
- Choose a canvas for embroidery. Aida 14 canvas, that is, 55 cells in 10 cm, is best suited.
- Coat the canvas with PVA glue, straighten and dry. Thanks to this, it will become stronger and tougher, it will not delaminate at the edges and it will be much more convenient to embroider on it.
- Choose beads of the required size and color. Beads # 10 are most often used for embroidery of pictures. The size of the beads depends on the size of the canvas and vice versa. If you pick up beads of the wrong size, then the canvas will be visible between the beads, or, conversely, they will adhere too closely to each other and it will not be possible to level the direction of the beads.
- You will need reinforced threads # 40. If there are no such threads, you can wax the existing ones, for example, with a candle. It is desirable that the thread is the same color as the canvas.
- Buy needles for beads # 12 or # 10. They are thinner and easier to string beads on.
- Find a chipboard backing. It is desirable that its length be about 7 cm greater than the width of the canvas. If the canvas does not fit on the substrate, it should be carefully tucked under it.
- Place the canvas on a substrate and attach it with buttons. As the embroidery progresses, you need to move the canvas along the backing and secure with buttons.
- Sprinkle beads in handfuls of colors on pieces of paper or fabric. It is advisable to place them where it is less likely to brush them off by hand. During the embroidery process, the beads must be grasped directly with a needle.
- Cut the thread to the desired length. There is enough thread for one row, which is 5 times the width of the embroidery.
- Begin embroidering at the top or bottom row of the pattern and then embroider in rows. The direction of embroidery depends on which hand to embroider with. At the beginning and at the end of each row, you need to fasten the threads. Almost all types of seams can be used, but most often arched or tacked seams are used.
- The number of beads in each row should be equal to the number of cells in the diagram.
- After the end of the row and securing the thread, do not cut it, but pass it through all the beads to the beginning of the row. This will secure them, even out the slope.
Embroidering with beads is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. The embroidery process and result always brings a lot of pleasure.
