1. Home
  2. Needlework Board
  3. Looking for tips, tricks, and warnings on beads

Looking for tips, tricks, and warnings on beads

I've been working on TW's Celestial Dragon, and I'm not too far from the beading stage. I've never worked with beads, so I'm looking for input.

  1. I assume it's best to do these last. Correct?

  1. Should I wash and press the piece before beading? I can't imagine pressing after adding beads.

  2. What do I need to prepare for as far as doing the actual work? I'm accustomed to holding the piece in my hand (I use Q-Snaps) for stitching. I'll need to work at a table for the beads, won't I? Can this be done with the fabric loose (no hoop or frame)?

  1. What gauge needle do you recommend?

  2. What am I forgetting to ask about? :-)

(I remember the olden days of the Usenet-based RCTN when a message like this would release a torrent of responses and maybe even set off a mini-flame war or something.)

--Danny

Reply to
Danny Breidenbach
Loading thread data ...

Hi Danny,

I don't like doing beads but I have done some...

Do them last, wash and press first.

You can hold the piece in hand or use a frame. I have put them on as I stitched using a scroll frame. Then just rolled the piece up in the scroll frame as I worked (I stitch from top to bottom).

Get a beading needle.

Its not hard, just tedious, for me anyway.

hth, Rich

Reply to
Rich

You can wash and press after beading if you're careful not to press down too hard with the iron AND place a terrycloth towel or other thick padding under the work when ironing. Also iron from the back of the piece so that the beads are resting in the padded surface.

I've done both beading after all stitching is complete on smaller pieces and adding beading as I finish stitching each section. It's more a matter of personal taste than a gotta-do-it-this-way kind of thing.

On the REALLY large pieces like the Wentzlers or Mirabilias I'll mount the fabric on scroll bars then as I roll up the beaded sections use a small terrycloth facecloth or small hand towel to pad the beading from being crushed as the scroll bars are tightened. With QSnaps that won't be an option, so you might have to switch over to scrolls if the piece being worked is a large one.

As for needles, I found a brand and size that works very well for both regular stitching and getting through the small beads so I don't have to switch out needles back and forth when I'm working. They are John James Tapestry Pointed Short Beading Needles Size 10. They should be available online somewhere like Nordic Needle. I bought mine in packs of 25, so I'm set for awhile.

Nyssa At River's End

Reply to
Nyssa

Good advice from everyone else. I have done beading on cross stitch pieces just holding the work in my hand , usually when my scroll frame is in use with something else. I would not t ry to put Qsnaps over beads.

Although tedious, it is best to stitch each bead on with a cross stitch, as this ensures the bead sits firmly just where you want it to be. If you hav e a long line of beads that are touching each other, then you can stitch 3 beads at a time using beading back stitch. Some tutorials say you can do 5 or 6 beads at a time but I find 3 gives me more control over curved lines.

And I definitely stitch at a table using a terry towel as a cloth. Beads li ke to escape from their little containers and jump all over the place. Terr y towel keeps them controlled.

And finally, use glass beads. When I didn't know anything about beads I bou ght some plastic ones by mistake. Plastic beads break during stitching and melt if an iron gets anywhere near them.

Have fun, Annette

Reply to
Annette from NZ

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.