Thursday, April 28, 2011

Crazy Thursday Tutorial #3

One Way to Add Seed Beads

After hours of trying to get seed beads onto my quilted wall hanging this seems to be the method that works best for me.

Step 1 - Double your string and let it hang and unwind for a moment then knot the ends. This is an important step to help stop tangles while stitching.
Step 2 - Take a big stitch into the quilted top. Make sure you are between the layers and not out the backing. Have your needle come up where you want to place the bead. Pull the knot to the fabric than give it one more gentle tug. This will "pop" the knot under the fabric. Trim off the extra thread tail.

Step 3 - Take a really small stitch in place on the fabric catching only 3 or 4 fabric threads. This will keep the bead from coming loose later.

Step 4 - Thread a bead onto the string and take another stitch in place under the bead.
Step 5 - Sew through the bead a second time. Instead of taking a stitch in place under the bead you will take another large jump stitch making the needle come up where you want to place the next bead.


Repeat steps 2 -4 until you are almost out of string.

Step 6- When you are almost out of string sew on the last bead as above but instead of a jump stitch after the second pass through the bead take a small stitch in place. Before you finish pulling that loop tight, sew through it 2 times. Finish pulling the loop to create a knot. Then make a long jump stitch to hide the thread tail and trim off the extra.

Hope this tutorial works for you. Happy beading!

2 comments:

Jsoosay said...

Thanks for posting this tutorial. I've been thinking about doing some beading so I'm glad I found this.

Julierose said...

Love this tutorial--will be beading the centers of my sunfowers now for sure...hugs, Julierose