Category: Bead Embroidery

Downloadable and printable PDF instructions.

Worked with loops of beads that exit and go back into a single bead for stability, this stitch is a useful depiction of leaves or petals, especially when used together with 3-dimensional beadwork flowers.

Best worked with nylon beading thread, it can also be worked with doubled-over strands of embroidery thread, chosen to match the shade of the beads.  The samples in the video clip have been worked with size 11° beads, slightly bigger than I would normally work with but used for the sake of clarity in the video.  I would normally work with size 15° beads. 

Working the stitch:

• With a single strand of beading thread, or a doubed-over strand of stranded cotton  on a size 12 bead embroidery or sharps quilting needle, come up at the point where you want the base of the stitch to be.
• Pick up 6 beads. 

Or a few more if you like, depending on how long you want the stitches to be – within reason.  You can’t make them too long or, indeed too short.  However many you pick up, it should always be an even number so that once you go back into the first bead, you are left with a loop that is made up of an uneven number of beads.

• Go back down the first bead, going into the fabric at the same time.
• Pull through and whilst doing that, manipulate the 5 beads that remain so that they form an even loop.

• Lay the bead loop flat with your finger to estimate where the middle bead of the loop will lie and come up slightly beyond the bead loop.  It needs to be ever so slightly beyond, so that when you attach the loop to the fabric, it stretches the loop and it lies flatter than if you were too close.
• Referring to the illustration above, take the needle and thread through the closest bead.  This is the 4^th bead that you picked up as that will be the middle bead of the loop that is the ‘chain’.

• Go back into the same hole that you came out of, pulling the bead loop towards the stitch as you tighten.

• Unlike thread, glass beads are somewhat inflexible and, if you are doing a few bead lazy daisies close together, make sure that you leave enough space between them so that they don’t jostle one another.

And now for the video clip that covers all of the above.

(Don’t forget to click the icon in the bottom right-hand corner of each video to get it to full screen).

Downloadable and printable PDF instructions.

Beaded Palestrina stitch is an embroidery stitch that is enhanced with the addition of beads in the construction of the stitch.  It is particularly useful when used as an edging to finish off an article such as the book cover in the image below.

It was also used to mask the edge stitching that joined the patches of the pomander in the image below.

The threads and beads

In the video clip, I used perle #5 thread for the sake of clarity.  When working it onto a project, it will depend entirely on what I’m going with it. 

If I was using it to edge a large article like, for example, the book cover above, I might use 3 strands of cotton combined with a size 8°. The knots between the beads will show if I use 3 (or even 4) strands.   If I am using a large bead like the size 8°, then I can use a fairly large needle – probably a size 8 embroidery needle – because it will go through the hole in the bead and also, it will accommodate 3 or 4 strands of thread.  On the other extreme, if I was using the technique to attach a small, size 15° bead, then I would use a doubled over single strand of thread on a smaller bead embroidery or ‘sharps’ quilting needle.  The quilting needle is useful because it doesn’t bend as quickly as any kind of bead embroidery or beading needle. 

Working the stitch:

• Unlike (un)beaded Palestrina stitch, when you are using this technique to attach beads, you need to start with a knot.
• Come up at the beginning of the line and, working downwards towards yourself, leaving 2 to 3 mm of space, scoop under the line by going in on the right of the line,  coming up on the left of the line and pulling through.

• From where you have come up on the left, go under the diagonal first stitch that you created in the first step.
• As you pull through, make sure that the thread you are pulling through is facing towards the top.

• Guide the working thread around towards the right and take the needle under the diagonal stitch, to the right of the loop that you worked in step 2 above.
• Making sure that the tip of the needle goes over the working thread that has come from the left, pull through to tighten the knot.

• Pick up the bead and push it back along the thread until it touches the knot.
• Keeping it there, you can estimate where you will need to go in on the right of the line, to scoop under the fabric to the left of the line, as described in the first step above.

• Scoop under the line and thereafter, follow the steps described in steps 2 and 3 above, working behind the bead but making sure that once you pull through to tighten the knot, it lies just below the bead.

• Continue down the line repeating steps 1 to 4 above, spacing the knots and beads so that they make an even line.
• When you have completed the last knot at the bottom of the line, go into the fabric immediately after the knot and end off at the back.

And now for the video clip that covers all of the above.

(Don’t forget to click the icon in the bottom right-hand corner to get it to full screen).

Downloadable and printable PDF instructions.

Bead Couching is useful for depicting beaded outlines, the veins of leaves, cirlicues, tendrils and when worked in lines close to one another, can fill areas of a motif.  It gives a heavier line than beaded backstitch.

When recording the video clip on the tuition page, I used a doubled over strand of perle #12 thread on a size 7 embroidery needle.  That was for clarity and under normal circumstances, when attaching beads to a project, I would use a doubled over single strand of cotton on either a size 10 or 12 bead embroidery needle or, better still, a size 10 or 11 ‘sharps’ quilting needle.  In certain circumstances I might use a fine beading thread on a similar needle.

Both of these needles have a small eye that will fit through even the tiniest, size 15° bead and my preference for the quilting needle is because it doesn’t bend as quickly as a beading or bead embroidery needle. 

In the video clip, I used a bright blue thread for clarity but once again, under normal circumstances, I would choose the colour of my thread based on the bead I am attaching, choosing one that is close to, or darker than, the colour of the beads.

Working the stitch:

The sample in the video was worked on a 30 mm diameter circle using a doubled over strand of perle #12 thread and size 8° beads. 

• Come up on the line and pick up 5 beads.
• Push the beads back to the base of the thread and referring to the pink arrow in the image above, leave a space about the width of a bead before going in on the line of the circle.

• Pushing the beads back to the beginning of the thread coming out of the fabric.  Come up between beads 1 and 2, on the line of the circle.
• Work a couching stitch over the threads that run between the beads, going back into the fabric on the line of the circle and coming up between beads 2 and 3.
• Work a couching stitch over the thread running between those beads. 
• Continue working couching stitches over the thread between beads 3 and 4, as well as between beads 4 and 5.

• Come up on the circle after the 5^th bead, making sure that the needle is placed between the two strands of thread on which the first group of 5 beads was strung.
• This is important because it will ensure that you are directly opposite the hole of the 5^th bead so, in the middle of the bead, and will mean that the line continues evenly.  If you are not careful to do this, your line might zig zag because each group of beads is not properly lined up.
• Pick up a group of 5 beads and, referring to the pink arrow in the diagram above, leave a space that is approximately the width of a bead before going into the fabric on the line.
• As you did when you placed the first group, place couching stitches over the thread between each bead in the group and continue adding groups of beads in the same way.
• When you get towards the end of the circle – or line – estimate how much space you need to fill to get to the end.
• It is important to avoid finishing off with a single bead, stitched on individually,  because it will sit at it’s own angle which will probably not be in line with the beads that precede it.
• If, for example, you find that you will need to fill the space with 7 beads, break the last two groups into 3 beads and 4 beads.  The general principle is not more than 5 beads and at least 2 beads.

• When you have couched all of the beads in the line or circle, you will probably find that they are not sitting as neatly as you would like.
• So, bring the needle and thread up at the beginning of the line and thread through all of the beads in a continuous line. 
• If you’re working a circle, it is a good idea to leave a loop at the beginning so that you can see where you started.
• As you get towards the end of the circle, pull through, making the loop disappear, go through the last bead or two and give that thread a good, hard tug.   This will pull all of the beads slightly together and straighten them up.
• If you’re working on a line or a curve, you will do the same thing.
• Keeping the working thread firm, go to the back and end off.

In the video sample and because I was using a thicker thread than normal, I used a single strand of the perle thread to work the continuous final line.  This can happen if you are couching small beads and you can do this final line with a single thread, maybe even putting it on a finer needle.  You will soon know if you need to do this because you won’t be able to get through the couched beads.  So, change to a single thread on a finer needle, but do try to do the continuous line.  It does neaten things up nicely.

Downloadable and printable PDF instructions.

Beaded backstitch is useful for depicting beaded outlines and also, tendrils or feathers.  It gives a lighter line than solid and heavier bead couching because the beads are broken up by the backstitches in between each bead.

When recording the video clip on the tuition page, I used a doubled over perle #12 thread on a size 7 embroidery needle.  That was for clarity and under normal circumstances, when attaching beads to a project, I will use a doubled over single strand of cotton on either a size 10 or 12 bead embroidery needle or, better still, a size 10 or 11 ‘sharps’ quilting needle. 

Both of these needles have a small eye that will fit through even the tiniest, size 15° bead and my preference for the quilting needle is because they don’t bend as quickly as a beading or bead embroidery needle. 

In the video clip, I used a bright blue thread for clarity but once again, under normal circumstances, I would choose the colour of my thread based on the bead I am attaching, choosing one that is close to, or darker than, the colour of the beads.

Working the stitch:

In the diagram below, the stitch is worked from left to right.

• Thread your bead embroidery, or sharps quilters needle, with a single strand of cotton or silk.
• Double it over and tied the ends together with a knot.
• Come up a backstitch length away from the beginning of the line (on the left).
• Go in on the end of the line and come up again through the same hole that you came through when you started the backstitch.
• Pick up a bead.
• Moving to the right, push the bead back to where the thread comes out of the fabric, sliding the needle between the two strands of cotton, pushing the bead with the needle.
• When you can’t push it back any further, go into the fabric at that point thereby making the stitch the exact size you need to hold the bead firmly in place.
• Come up a backstitch length beyond the bead and finish the backstitch by going into the same hole that you went into when you attached the bead.
• Moving forward again, attach a bead and keep going in this way to complete the line.

Worth noting is that in most circumstances, you will start with a backstitch and end with a backstitch, particularly if you are making a tendril or a feather.  To this end, as you get towards the end of the beaded backstitch line, try to space your stitches so that you will end the line with a backstitch.

Downloadable and printable PDF instructions.

When recording the video clip on this page, I used a doubled over perle #12 thread on a size 7 embroidery needle.  That was for clarity and under normal circumstances, when attaching beads to a project, I will use a doubled over single strand of cotton on either a size 10 or 12 bead embroidery needle or, better still, a size 10 or 11 ‘sharps’ quilting needle. 

Both of these needles have a small eye that will fit through the tiniest, size 15° bead and my preference for the quilting needle is because they don’t bend as quickly as a beading or bead embroidery needle.  By using a doubled over strand of cotton it provides strength whilst also filling up the hole of the bead a bit, so that it doesn’t move around.

In the video clip, I used a bright blue thread for clarity but once again, under normal circumstances, I would choose the colour of my thread based on the bead I am attaching, choosing one that is close to the colour of the beads.

Attaching a Bead with a Bead

Instead of using a larger bead, you can use a sequin, with the smaller bead holding the sequin in place.

Attaching Single Beads to Fabric

When attaching beads to fabric, you never know what size to make your stitch.  If the stitch is too long, the thread is visible and if it’s too short, the bead sits at an angle.  Doing it the way I am about to describe, means that you make the stitch the right length to hold the bead firmly in place so that it sits flat with no stitch showing – or hardly showing. 

This is particularly useful when you are attaching bugle beads and whilst I have demonstrated with a 3 mm cube bead instead of a bugle bead, that was or the sake of clarity.  The round beads are size 11° beads.

• Thread up single strand of cotton, double the threads over and tie the tails together with a knot.
• Bring your needle up through the fabric at the correct point. 
• Pick up the bead and push it back to where the thread comes out of the fabric by sliding your needle between the two strands of cotton and pushing the bead with the needle.
• When you can’t push it back any further, go into the fabric at that point thereby making the stitch the exact size you need to hold the bead firmly in place.
• Either end off or come up where you need to, to attach the next bead using the same method of sliding back between the strands.

As mentioned, this is particularly useful for attaching bugle beads.  You will make the stitch only as long as it needs to be.