How to Put Beads on a Shirt
Spruce up a tired old shirt to give it a new lease on life, create a unique shirt for a special occasion or use your skills to design one-of-a-kind shirts to present as gifts. Beading shirts is a create way to turn an ordinary item into something spectacular. Beading is a complex process that requires planning and skill. Choose or create your designs before applying the beads and pick an application method that suits your time frame and patience level.
Things You'll Need
- Tracing pencil
- Transfer paper
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Embroidery ring
- Needle
- Thread (which matches the bead or shirt color)
- Beads
- Fabric adhesive (optional)
- Tweezers (optional)
Instructions
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1
Select a design to bead. Choose a design that matches the style of your shirt. Ensure that the design fits on the shirt. You can obtain design patterns from the Internet or your local haberdashery store. You can also create your own designs by drawing freehand or using computer design software.
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2
Place the transfer paper over the design and trace it with the tracing pencil. Place the transfer paper (tracing pencil side down) on your shirt and iron the design on.
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3
Use an embroidery ring that is big enough to fit the whole design on. Unscrew the ring and place the fabric between the small inner and large outer rings. Screw the ring shut when you are sure that the fabric is taught and wrinkle free.
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4
Thread the needle with a 24-inch length of thread and knot it off at the bottom. Bring the needle up through the bottom of the fabric until the knot catches. Thread a bead onto the needle and down the thread. Push the needle back through the fabric. There is no need for extra stitches on the back of the fabric, but tie the thread off at the back after four or five beads. In the event of a broken thread, you can easily repair the damage without losing the whole design.
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5
Make your stitches just a touch wider than the beads so that the beads lay next to each other and there are no gaps between them. When you have completed your beaded design, use fusible fabric or stiffening to cover the back of the stitches to prevent them from coming lose and to hide them from view.
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6
Use fabric adhesive to attach the beads if you are in a hurry. Follow steps 1 through 3 and then cover small areas the design with adhesive glue. Use the tweezers to place the beads in position. Leave the shirt in the embroidery ring until the adhesive dries. This will be a temporary solution as fabric adhesive will only hold the beads for a couple of washes.
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Tips & Warnings
Instead of transfer paper and tracing pens, you can use store-bought transfers. You also get pressure transfers which do not require heat. If you are able to design freehand, use a fabric pencil or tailor's chalk to draw your design onto the shirt.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
