Try It Out! - Beadworking (Part of Crafting a Creative Summer)

Beadworking comes in many forms, from stringing beads on wire or string as we discussed earlier this summer in our jewelry making post to sewing beads to fabric, or even weaving or sewing beads together to create a sort of fabric.

We’ve already discussed  beading in the form of jewelry making, and sewing on beads is similar to the embroidery we covered earlier this summer as well. In essence, you simply outline the design on your fabric with marking pencil, chalk or even iron on transfers. Place the fabric to be beaded on an embroidery hoop or frame to hold the  fabric taught. Then one by one or small strings of beads at a time you first make the outline of your design. (If stringing multiple beads at once be sure to ‘couch’ between each bead along the design to secure them down and ensure proper shaping along the design.)  While this can be done with nearly any fabric if you are wanting to add a layer of beading to a delicate fabric you can even use organza as your beading fabric to then sew it in as another layer. Once you have outlined your design, filling in can be more tedious and is best  done one bead at a time to get a nice even randomness that fills the space without creating additional lines. You can use a  variety of beads shapes and sizes to fill in areas so you may want to start with your largest beads first then fill around them. Depending on the size of your beads you may find you need an extra small or beading needle when sewing these designs.

But today we’ll be focusing on sewing beads together to create fabric, specifically with the use of a beading loom. This style of beading uses thread and beads to create a highly flexible fabric with no backing. (Using a loom is only one way to make this type of beaded fabric, but a loom can be easier to learn.)

[Image consists of a beading loom with warp threads]

Basics of how to use a beading loom:

1. Start by wrapping warp threads.(This video will show the basics of wrapping warp threads onto a beading loom.) Warp threads run the full length of the piece. 

2. Once you have created the warp, a weft thread (working thread) is tied to one side of the warp leaving a long tail. You will add a sewing needle to the other end of the weft, it will need to be small enough to fit through your beads.

3. String the weft thread with one row’s worth of beads (one less than the number of warp threads) and pass it under the warp.

4. Carefully press the beads up into the warp so that they fall evenly between all the warp threads. 

5. With beads pressed up, pass the sewing needle through the beads going across the top of the warp threads this time. This will effectively trap the beads. Keep in mind tension is very important with beading to ensure beads stay in place while you work. 

6. Continue adding rows of beads in this way. Sometimes there will be a pattern or design that will determine the colour or order of beads.

7. When the desired length of beaded fabric is achieved, carefully weave the weft thread back through a few rows of beads, and a slip knot tied between beads along a row. Then the end is sewn through a few more rows of beads and trimmed. 

8. The tail from the start of your weft is treated similarly. (This video shows the basics of the beading process from steps 2 through 8.)

9. After you have secured your ends it’s time to carefully remove the entire project from the loom by loosening your posts and removing the loops from the pin, the start/ends where you knotted the thread may need to be cut to remove them from the post, but many looms have pins which can be removed. 

10. At this point your work may look a bit messy with all those big loop ends, so carefully lay out the entire piece and untangle all the loops, as the warp is one continuous thread we can actually work it through the beading so that we are only left with the beginning and end of the warp thread to secure and weave in. 

11. Carefully find the midpoint of your work, take a hold of the loop at the center, hold your work flat with your other hand and gently pull down on the center loop of the warp thread. You should notice the loop at the other end of your work begins to shrink when you do this. Avoid overtightening as you pull this thread as it can lead to puckering.

12.  Repeat step 11 on either side of the work, working from the inside to the outside edge.

13. You should be left with two long ends of your original warp thread. Weave and secure these into the work just as you did the weft ends. (Depending on your project the steps for securing your warp threads may differ slightly.)

[image consists of a quick sample of beading from a loom]

As you can see there are many types of beadworking, and each has its own purpose and use. If there is a style of beadworking you haven’t done, it’s certainly worth trying out!

What, if any, style(s) of beading have you done? Which do you prefer?
If you were to use a beading loom, what would you want to make?
Share your work with us?

Part of Crafting a Creative Summer