Beading technique for beginners

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

There are many types of applied arts, in particular embroidery. The most spectacular of them can be called beadwork. How to embroider? For beginners, this is a very important question, the answer to which can be found in the article.

Embroidering with beads, anyone can make a picture with their own hands, without having an art education. In addition, such embroidery will decorate your favorite handbag, an old T-shirt or a classic dress. And products with the right color scheme and composition of beads can compete in beauty with some jewelry. Beadwork originates in the middle of the 17th century, when the production of beads itself became possible. Prior to this, for many centuries, the clothes of noble people were decorated with embroidery with pearl beads, and since the technique used was the same as for beads, it can be considered the progenitor of bead embroidery. Hand-made icons look especially beautiful and expensive. Beginners should not be afraid of beadwork, as it is so simple that it can be doneeven a child can do it. This will allow you to have a good time creating a masterpiece with your children.

Embroidery technique

There are many different bead embroidery techniques, for beginners we will consider the most common ones: solid and free. Let's take a closer look at them.

Solid embroidery with beads is the uniform filling of the entire area with beads. As a rule, these are paintings or solid applications. A feature of this type of embroidery is that each row is sewn completely, regardless of the color of the beads, and each bead is sewn separately.

Free embroidery differs significantly from the previous look. Here, the filling of the base is not complete, but partial, the beads can be sewn on several pieces at a time, and the elements are filled not in strict rows, but in an arbitrary order. In free embroidery, the use of beads of various shapes and sizes, as well as beads, rhinestones, sequins and other decorations is encouraged, and stems and leaves can be embroidered with simple floss threads, without the use of beads. Such beadwork for beginners is more suitable, as it does not require special skills and proven techniques.

Materials

Before you start creating beadwork, you need to prepare materials such as:

1. Basis. For different types of embroidery, it is necessary to select the appropriate basis. For example, it is better to embroider pictures on a dense canvas, however, when buying it, one must take into accountthat the density of a given material directly affects the final result. If the holes on it are too large, then when using small beads, the product will turn out to be untidy, gaps and threads will be visible between the beads. If you use large beads for canvas with small holes, then it will be very difficult to sew them on, the finished product will bulge and look extremely unaesthetic. To choose the right canvas, you need to attach beads to it, which will later be embroidered. The beads should not fall into the holes, and placed on the end in adjacent holes, they should touch the walls, but at the same time not go beyond the boundaries of the cage. Only in this case can you get a smooth and beautiful canvas. Another option for the base is a loose canvas and base fabric. This option is suitable for beginners for beadwork on clothes. The canvas in this case, unlike the previous one, should have enough free weaving so that it can be easily removed from the finished product by pulling the threads from the ends, but with small holes so as not to violate the integrity of the pattern. Any material is suitable for free embroidery. However, it is worth remembering that the beads are quite heavy, so a thin fabric can be deformed in the embroidery area. In such cases, it is necessary to use an additional layer of material, such as cotton, to strengthen the place. where the embroidery will be placed.
2. Beads. Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare enough beads for the entire product. In the case of continuous embroidery with canvas, it is better to choose beads of the same size, dyeing method andforms. If the presence of larger or smaller beads is implied, then it is better to choose them in the same style as the main material. In addition, you can also diversify embroidery using different types of bead dyeing. For example, transparent beads dyed only from the inside are great for simulating water, dew and snow, but the flowers from such beads will turn out to be less realistic than from full-colored beads. Bugle beads can be used to embroider needles, grass and other straight lines, however, it is still undesirable for beginners to use it for embroidery with canvas, as this requires additional calculations and skills. But in free embroidery, it will help not only diversify the product, but also significantly reduce the time.
3. Needle. Depending on your preferences, you can choose short or long, but they must be beaded. The main difference between such needles and standard ones is the almost complete absence of expansion from the tip to the eye. The number of bead needles, like the bead itself, is inversely proportional to the thickness, that is, the larger the number, the thinner the needle and the smaller the beads. In order to correctly choose the size of the needle, it must be remembered that in addition to it, a thread of 2-4 additions must pass into the hole of the bead. One of the disadvantages of beading needles is that they bend and break easily, so the thick base fabric must first be pierced with a thicker needle, and also prepare several spare needles of the same size as the working one before starting work.
4. Threads. Not only the finalresult, but also comfort when creating a picture. For embroidery with beads, the thread must be thin, but strong. You should not use cotton threads or fishing line, in the first case it will tear, which will significantly complicate the work, and in the second case, the finished product will turn out to be hard and heterogeneous, since this material will not allow you to sew beads close enough to each other, and also tightly to the fabric basics. It is better to choose a synthetic or thin nylon thread.
5. Hoop. It is impossible to embroider with beads without this tool, you should carefully consider their choice. Their size should correspond to the size of the finished product, since it is practically impossible to move small hoops, as in classical embroidery with threads, tightly fixing them on the fabric and without damaging the finished sections. In addition, it is better to use wooden ones, as they fix the fabric better with the right tension.
6. Scheme. To create free embroidery, you can use ready-made patterns, freehand sketches, or any pictures from the Internet. It is very convenient for these purposes to use blanks for coloring. For all-over embroidery, such as paintings or appliqués, you can also use ready-made patterns and commercial embroidery kits. And you can make a beaded picture according to your favorite image. For this, it is necessary, for example, using Photoshop or online retouching, to pixelate the focus in the filters. Thus, any image can be converted into a scheme, and by changing the pixel size, increase or decrease the size of the canvas. However, it is worth remembering that with a large pixel size, the image will be less clear,regarding the photo. For beginners, beadwork should start with small images.



7. Scissors. It is very convenient to use nail scissors with sharp ends. If necessary, they can rip up failed sections of embroidery.

Types of seams

When the embroidery technique is chosen and the materials are prepared, it is worth deciding how to sew the beads to the base. There are many types of stitches for bead embroidery, but each needlewoman has her favorite stitch, which she uses to embroider her works. It is difficult to say which stitch is better, so let's look at a few simple options for beginners in beadwork step by step, having tried each of them on a separate piece of the main fabric, it will already be possible to choose the most convenient for a particular person.

Stitches for continuous embroidery

To create panels, paintings or solid applications, it is very important that the beads are placed as close to each other as possible in both vertical and horizontal rows. The closer the beads are located, the more visible the pattern on the finished product will be. The main types of stitches for such embroidery are semi-cross and counter.

Half-Cross

Basic stitch for beadwork, it will be quite easy for beginners to master this technique, especially if they are already familiar with cross stitch. This type of seam is similar to it, but without the reverse stitch. In this case, the beads are located at the intersection of the threads of the canvas. On a threadit is necessary to tie a knot, thread it through the hole in the canvas, put a bead on the needle, and then bring the thread back to the wrong side diagonally through the crossed lines of the base. After that, the needle must again be brought to the front side, throwing the thread from top to bottom. Thus, on the front side, all stitches with beads in a row will be located diagonally, and on the wrong side, in columns perpendicular to the row.

Inverse stitch

This type of seam on the right side is similar to the previous one, however, on the wrong side, the stitches are parallel to the row. For beginners, beadwork in this technique may seem more difficult, since it is necessary to alternate the direction of the needle.

Bring the thread to the front side, put a bead on it, throw the thread over the crossed warp threads to the right up, then bring the needle through the adjacent hole, shifting it to the right. The next bead will be sewn down to the left, and the needle must be brought out to the front side again to the right.

Stitches for free embroidery

In this type of embroidery, beads can be sewn in absolutely any way. For beginners in beadwork, let's take a look at the most common ones step by step.

Forward the needle

One of the easiest ways to sew on beads. Bring the thread to the front side, put a bead on the needle and return the thread to the wrong side through the same hole. Step back 1 bead or more, repeat previous steps.

Back the needle

This stitch is suitable for things that will be actively used, for example, when decorating clothes. Unlike the first option, the beads on the basis will hold on better, and the pattern will not be deformed.

Bring the needle to the front side, put a bead on it, bring the thread to the wrong side to the right, stepping back a distance of one bead. Again bring the thread to the front side to the left, stepping back a distance of two beads, put the beads on the needle and bring the thread to the wrong side to the right through the same hole through which the previous bead was sewn. Thus, the seam line is continuous. This type is suitable for forming contours and stems, as well as any thin lines.

Arched

This technique takes much less time, since there is no need to sew on each bead separately, so for beginners, beadwork can be an ideal option. In this case, the first bead is sewn with a “back to the needle” seam, then 2 beads are strung on the thread, and the “back to the needle” seam is made on the second bead. Thus, every second bead will not be sewn to the base. Depending on the scheme, there can be either one or two or three freely hanging beads. You should not do more, as in this case the picture will be deformed.

Sewn

Another one of those quick stitches. ATIn this case, you will need two threads with a needle. String the required amount of beads on the main thread, then apply to the base fabric according to the pattern, after which sew the warp thread to the fabric with an equal number of beads with a working thread. Compare the result with the photo. For beginners, it is not difficult to repeat this stitch step by step with beads. In this case, you should also not make gaps of more than three beads.

Beadwork develops perseverance, develops fine motor skills, sewing skills, mindfulness, coordination, which has a beneficial effect not only on children, but also on adults. If you present a picture embroidered with beads with your own hands, then it will remind you of the master for a long time and convey the love that was invested in the manufacture.