How to Make A Hand Beaded Purse

Beaded purses and beautiful and unique. You have a range of choices when it comes to creating a beaded purse and you can let your creativity run wild. It can be a little more difficult than other beading projects, however you will be very pleased with the results. Here are the instructions for creating your own beaded purse.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• plain purse in any size you like.
• sead beads size 11.
• beading wax.
• large eye beading needle.
• beading floss in size 1 or B.
• scissors.
• stones, glass, wood, or fimo beads to add additional decorations to your purse.
• super glue.

1. Clean and wipe down the outside of the purse. Make sure there are no strings or fuzzles anywhere that will get tangled in your beads and beading floss.

2. With the sead beads and larger beads and stones you have chosen start deciding the pattern and design you want to create. You can cover the entire purse in beads and the strap. Or bead a flower or star onto the purse, whatever you like.

3. Once you have an idea of what you want to bead on your purse. You will want to cut a piece of floss that is about 3 feet long. It may sound like a lot, however you are going to fold this in half and make a few knots on the folded end.

4. Run your floss through the beading wax to smooth the floss out and to help make sure that it does not fray. Once done, thread your floss through the needle with about a 1-1 1/2 inch tail that you will fold over onto the rest of the floss. Run your floss through the wax again now.

5. Start from the inside of the purse so that the knot is hidden. Pass the needle through the purse and add a bead. Pass the needle closely back through the purse into the inside and again back through the front of the purse. Add another bead and continue doing this for the entirety of the design.

6. If you are adding larger beads as well, such as glass, wood, fimo, and stone beads, then you will thread the larger bead and a sead bead onto the needle, you will skip over the sead bead and then go back through the larger bead. Pass back through the purse to the inside and then back through the front of the purse again.

7. Keep your beads close together and your stitches tight. If you run out of floss while beading, tie the floss off tight and add a drop of super glue on top of the knot. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to begin beading again.

8. Beading the strap of the purse, start at the very base of the strap as close as you can to the inside so that the knot is hidden. Bead the strap the same way as you did the rest of the purse.

9. Continue beading your purse until the design you created is complete or you have covered the entire purse in beads. That's it, your done!

Tips & Warnings

• Choose beads that will compliment each for your purse.
• Use only a small drop of super glue to your knot, there is no need to over due it.
• Sew back through areas that seem loose or are the high wear areas to make sure that the beading floss is sturdy and strong.
• A beaded purse is durable, but beads can still come off if used roughly.
• Do not cover the entire purse in large beads, such as glass, stone, wood, and fimo. Your purse will be very heavy and there will be a better chance that the beads could come off.

Resources

• Shipwreck Beads
• Fire Mountain Gems
• Craft Site Directory

[piepererin]

on 9/7/2009 Very nice article on making a very original item! 5*