Chapter 8: Beads, beads and more beads!

This chapter was all about finding how many different ways I could stitch with beads. The answer, I found, was ... a great many, and how much fun it was playing with beads!

 

Fig. 8.1

I began with some of the suggestions in Sian's notes, so, reading from left to right across each row ...

Top row: 

1. Compact area of one type of bead

2. A compact area using two types of beads (bugle and seed)

3. Lightly sprinkled seed beads

Centre row:

4. Lines of beads using one type of bead

5. Lines of beads using more than one type of bead

6. Lines of sequins

Bottom row:

7. A pattern formed of bugle beads

8. A pattern using three types of bead

9. A large flat bead (actually a washer) trapped under organza with seed beads 'piled' in the centre and scattered around the organza to hold the washer in place.

Around the edges:

A variety of edgings and fringes.

 

Fig. 8.2

I hadn't run out of ideas so I made another sample. Again, reading from left to right across each row

Top row:

1. Lozenge shaped beads attached with four stitches

2. Circular beads attached with bullion loops

3. A sample of square stitch (which looks like loom work but isn't)

Centre row:

4. Piles of 2, 3 and 4 beads

5. Pairs of bugle beads tied with a cross stitch

6. Beads made from peyote stitched seed beads - a little fiddly to join together but quite effective.

Bottom row:

7. Feather stitch using beads in two different ways

8. Herringbone stitch using beads, again in two different ways

(I could have gone on almost for ever using beads to form embroidery stitches but stopped after these two)

9. A spiral of seed beads

Top edge:

Clusters of seed beads used as edging

Right hand edge:

Loops of seed beads used as edging

Bottom edge:

Horizontal netting fringe

Left hand edge:

Strings of seed beads with a leaf bead in the centre used as an edging.