How to Embellish Quilts With Beads
With the resurgence of quilt making in the past 20 years there has been a flourishing in art quilts. Beading has become a common way to embellish this type of textile artwork. Adding beads to your next quilt, whether contemporary or traditional, may give it the spark to create the look you want.
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Things You'll Need
- Ruler
- 1/4-inch graph paper
- Colored pencils
- Quilt
- Beads
- Beading needle
- Lightly waxed beading thread, such as Nymo
- Scissors
Instructions
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Make a scale drawing of your quilt. A good scale allows 1 inch to be represented by 1/4 inch; this is standard grid size for most graph paper. Color your drawing with colored pencils if you need the visual aid.
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Sort your beads according to size and color. Place the beads on your drawing to view color and try various patterns. If you are using beads of various sizes, the larger beads will look more balanced on the quilt if they appear on the lower half. If your quilt is non-directional, place the beads wherever they create the look you want.
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Sew your beads to the quilt, using a back stitch to add stability, according to your pattern. Start in the center of your quilt and work your way out to the perimeter. Make all knots on the back and bury them between the layers of your quilt by working the knot between threads that make up the weave of the fabric.
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Tips & Warnings
Beads are generally added to art quilts and not on bed quilts since they would be abraded during use.
Do not embellish baby quilts with beads; this is a severe choking hazard.
References
- Photo Credit multi-coloured beads, background from beads image by 26kot from Fotolia.com
