Bead Embroidery designs

I am fairly new at this but am now ready to bead a design on a black stretch lycra top. The fabric is matt, so I can use sparkly or plain iridescent beads.

Has anyone a source for motifs? I guess I could trace a flower off another piece of fabric. I am no good at creative art at all. Is there anything out there in the embroidery world like those transfers we once used for embroidering babies clothes or tarting up plain teatowels or samplers?

I have tried the recommended technique using overlapping circles as a learning exercise, and it worked just fine. I drew the circles onto a piece of tissue paper and attached to fabric with large tacking (or basting) stitches around the edge. Then I beaded through the tissue paper and ripped it off afterward. This actually worked just fine, but it was just an experiment.

When I bead the garment should I first perhaps iron on some sort of stabilizer on the wrong side first, so the beads don't sag or pull?

Can I put the garment piece in an embroidery hoop? I have a largish one (about 7 inches - or 23cm - across)?

I'd just like some advice on these points please. I find this newsgroup very helpful indeed. I live in New Zealand where there is not a really big range of products for beading, although it is growing.

Cheers

Daisy

One of the first problems you will have is the fact that the ground fabric you chose will not be easy to use. It stretches. So, any stitching you do - whether beading or plain surface embroidery or cross stitch (waste canvas) - will have to be stable and that means: Your fabric will no longer stretch.

That may present problems (or may not, depending upon how much it needs to stretch to fit over your head or allow ample body movement).

You asked a LOT of questions. :-) Your experiments for transferring the design are worthwhile. Just about anything can be used as a pattern, including wallpaper. DMC has a new white pencil which doesn't smudge. That might be worthwhile as a transfer pencil. There aren't very many iron-on transfers, but you could try googling "Aunt Martha's Embroidery Transfers" and seeing if any of those designs work for you.

I don't see the need for a stabilizer on the back. Again, that will add to the fabric no longer being stretchy.

Dianne

Daisy wrote: