How to Embroider Beads & Sequin Appliques

Make sequin appliques in any shape and color.

Dress-up costumes, dance costumes or competitive sport costumes, such as for ice skating, often feature elaborate beaded and sequined applique design details. The appliques are simple to make at home and can be used to adorn evening wear or even to embellish a child's T-shirt.

Things You'll Need

• Design template
• Tailor's chalk
• Cotton fabric
• Embroidery hoop
• Beading needle
• Thread
• Craft glue
• Paint brush
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Draw the design on your fabric using tailor's chalk. Draw designs freehand, trace images found in books or magazines or download images from the Internet.

2. Fit the fabric into the embroidery hoop with the design in the center, facing up.

3. Thread your beading needle and tie a knot in the end of the thread. Push the needle up through the fabric from the wrong side, going through the tailor's chalk outline.

4. Thread one sequin onto the needle, then thread four seed beads followed by another sequin. Push the needle back down through the fabric, from the right side to the wrong side, half an inch from the last stitch.

5. Bring the needle back through to the right side, about a quarter of an inch away from the last stitch, then thread sequins and beads onto the needle in the same sequence as before.

6. Continue to work with sequins and beads around the rest of the design outline. When the outline is complete, make another row with sequins and beads just inside the first row, and continue in this way, until the entire design is filled in.

7. Paint a thin layer of craft glue on the back of the applique design. Wait until the glue has dried, then remove the design from the embroidery hoop and cut around the shape with scissors.

Tips & Warnings

• If the craft glue is too thick, thin it with a little water. The purpose of the craft glue is to slightly stiffen the applique and secure the stitching. It needs to be thin enough for a needle to pass through so you can sew the applique patch to your garment.

• Use any sequence of beads and sequins that you like.

• You can sew the bead and sequin applique onto a garment. Instead of drawing the design on a separate piece of fabric, draw it straight onto the garment, then sew on the beads and sequins.