Do-It-Yourself Beaded Wedding Dresses
Turn a store-bought, off-the-rack wedding dress into a one-of-a-kind work of art by beading the gown yourself. Embellishing the dress with your own beads adds a personal touch and creative flair limited only by how simple or elaborate you want the design to be. The end result is a wedding dress that is as individual as the bride wearing it, and not just another look-alike. Think of the dress as a canvas and imagine how your masterpiece will look on that special day.
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Things You'll Need
- Beading needles, various sizes
- Beading thread to match the colors of beads and weight of fabric
- Beads
- Conversion chart (number of beads per inch)
- Small sharp scissors
- Beading pattern (optional)
- Tailor's chalk (optional)
Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Sewing beads onto the bodice of your wedding dress will add depth and dimension. Determine where on the dress you want to sew the beads, crystals or pearls. Easy starting points would be along the neckline, length or width of the sleeves, up and down princess seams, and around the hemline.
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2
Examine the dress for separate linings and inserts so you'll know how and where to attach the beads. If the dress has a separate lining from the shell, turn the dress inside out to avoid sewing through two layers of fabric.
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3
Work freehand or from a pattern. If you are transferring a pattern onto the dress, use tailor's chalk, so it can be easily wiped off. Select your needles and thread for the appropriate beads and placement on the dress. The more delicate the fabric, the lighter the thread and the smaller the needle and bead.
Application
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4
Place the area of the dress that you want to bead face up on a flat surface. Insert the threaded needle from the inside of the dress at the spot where you want the bead to be placed and draw the needle through.
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5
Slide the needle and thread through the center opening of a bead. Slip the needle back through to the inside of the dress, bringing the bead close to the fabric. Repeat so that each bead is looped twice.
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6
Cut the thread, leaving enough length on the inside of the dress to tie two loose ends in a knot.
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7
Repeat Steps 1, 2 and 3 until your design is complete.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Pearls, round beads, seed beads, crystals and gems are traditionally used for wedding dresses.
Buy extra beads. It's better to have too many than not enough, especially if the beads were special ordered or come from limited stock
Give yourself plenty of time. The more elaborate the design, the more time it will take.
Use the seams of the dress for guides. This can be a helpful tool for sewing vertically or horizontally.
If sewing beads onto the top edge of a strapless gown, leave ample room under the arms to avoid chaffing.
Double thread the needle for extra strength.
It is better to sew and knot each individual bead than to sew a line of them together. That way only one bead will be lost if the thread happens to break.
Keep the style of the dress in mind; remember less is always best.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
