I mentioned in my last post that I would write a tutorial on how to add beading to a plain top…..so here it is!
This is a great way to embellish an existing piece of clothing in your wardrobe; giving it a new lease of life without spending too much money and having a fun crafty afternoon in the process.
TOOLS AND SUPPLIES:
1 – A piece of clothing from your wardrobe which you would like to embellish. The following instructions are based on the neckline of a T-shirt but you could do this on any piece of clothing that you like
2 – Some beads (or sequins). You could salvage some beads from another piece of clothing that is no longer your style (just take a small pair of scissors and carefully snip the thread that runs through the beads until they come away). Or you could buy a small bag of beads from your local haberdashery shop or order some online – a couple of suggested websites are:
a) Minerva Crafts: Search Results | Minerva
b) Remnant House – Harrogate: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Beads Fabric | Remnant House Fabric
3 – A needle. You can use a normal sewing needle or if you think you might do more of this sort of thing in the future, you could buy a special embroidery needle. The key thing is that its as thin as possible so it fits through the beads
4 – Thread. You can just use normal sewing thread (I would double it rather than using a single thread for security of the beads). Or you can buy special bead embroidery thread which is stronger
5 – Scissors – a small, sharp pair is ideal
6 – Light to medium weight interfacing (only if your garment is made from lightweight fabric) as you will need something to stabilise the fabric when you add the beads. Interfacing can be bought from either of the links I have included above
Once you have gathered your supplies….you can make a start!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1 – If the fabric of your garment is lightweight, you will need to stabilise it so it holds the weight of the beads. Cut a piece of interfacing which will cover the area that you want to add beads to. Then place the sticky, adhesive side of the interfacing against the wrong side (inside) of the garment in the area you will be working with and iron it carefully in place. This step won’t be necessary if your garment is made from reasonably heavy weight material like mine. (My fabric is a knit with a lovely fleece back to it and so heavy enough to not require any stabilisation).
Step 2 – Lay your garment down flat on a table, then take your beads and place them in the area that you want to embellish – e.g. the neckline as with mine. Take your time and have a play around with the exact placement, trialling some different options to see what looks best. Once you are happy that you have the design that you want, take a photo of the placement so you can refer back to it when it comes to sewing on the beads.
Step 3 – Take your thread and cut a piece which is no longer than the length of your hand to elbow; twice this length if you are doubling your thread (see thread above). Take one end of the thread, tie a knot and then thread your needle. Decide where you are going to start adding your beads and sew a few small stitches on top of each other to secure the thread. Even though you have a knot in the thread, I would still encourage you to do a few stitches like this before you start adding beads so that you can be sure that they will stay in place once sewn on.
Step 4 – With your reference photo (see above) to hand, take your first bead, thread it onto the needle and push it down the thread onto the fabric and then put the needle back down through the fabric. Before you move onto the next bead, I would recommend sewing through the first one again to make extra sure it is secure.
Step 5 – Then its just a matter of repeating the above step with each bead you want to add, making sure each one is safely attached and doesn’t move before you move onto the next. Depending on how many beads you decide to add, this can be quite time consuming but I like to put on a YouTube video in the background and just enjoy the process. When you run out of thread, make sure to sew a few more stitches into the fabric underneath the beads you have sewn (from the wrong side) again to make sure the thread is securely tied and won’t unravel and therefore release all of the lovely beads you have just sewn. The more stitches the better but try and make sure they are not visible from the right side.
Step 6 – Once you have completed the design, try it on and admire your handiwork!
NB: To be on the safe side, it will be best to hand wash your garment now that it has beads hand sewn onto it. A washing machine is likely to be too vigorous and will dislodge your beads and all of your hard work!
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