Beading on Fabric

If you like to work with beads, eventually you may want to try sewing beads onto fabric.

Several years ago, I made a lined jacket and wanted to embellish the lapel with beads. I tried various methods, and ended up sewing the beads onto the jacket with nylon fishing line. If I were to do this over again, regular cotton floss would work just as well.

I decided to put an iguana likeness onto the lapel. It was just a basic tracing from a picture of an iguana, and the beads were sewn on in a more or less random fashion.

Here is a picture of the close up of the beaded iguana, and then the entire jacket:

The edging of the jacket also has attached beads.

For a tutorial on stitches, here is a good website I found: Coats and Clark

Basic Beading requires only a needle, thread and beads. There are just two stitches to learn—a stop stitch and a running stitch. Other stitches are variations of these.Basic Beading requires only a needle, thread and beads. There are just two stitches two basics.

Running Stitch: This is a stitch with a bead in it. Cut a length of thread no longer than 15”. Knot one end of the thread. Bring needle up through the fabric to the right side and thread a bead onto the needle. Bring the needle back through the fabric to the wrong side right next to the bead. Continue sewing beads using this running stitch. On straight lines, depending on the size of the bead, several beads can be threaded on the needle and sewn on in a single stitch. Every 3 or 4 beads, take a back stitch to secure.

Stop Stitch: This is for attaching two beads-usually a large and a small bead. Bring needle up through the fabric to the right side and thread first the larger then the smaller bead onto the needle. The small bead is the “stop”. Bring the needle back through the first larger bead to the wrong side of the fabric.Fence Stitch Bring needle up through the fabric to the right side and thread a bugle bead, a seed beadand another bugle bead onto the needle. Take a short stitch so that the bugle beads stand up creating a “fence”.

Loop Stitch: Create a dramatic edging with this stitch. Bring needle up through the fabric to the right side and thread several (8 to 10 depending on the size). Use the last 6 or 7 beads as the “stop”. Bring the needle down through the first couple of beads and to the wrong side of the fabric.

Vermicelli Stitch: This is the basic running stitch, but each stitch is taken in a different direction. It can be a pattern such as a zig zag or completely random.

This winter, I want to try more bead embellishment on vintage blouses and shirts. And THIS time I'll follow the directions.

Notes on Palin's UpDo Hairstyle

I've been curious about Sarah Palin's hair style. Did you notice that soon after the GOP VP selection, and when was starting receiving national media coverage, her bangs got a new slash cut? I did! Naturally, I wanted to figure out how she arrived at her current hair-do. Dumb me, I always thought women of a certain age did not wear their hair long....well, she does not! She keeps it up, usually.

But, wait, let's see what others think about Palin's new (old) "do":

The Roots of Sarah Palin's Hair talks about

… the iconoclastic updo of our favorite she-mav, Sarah Palin. But the true story of that hairstyle's humble beginning will move you.

According to The New York Times, "The ballerina-pink Beehive, in a 1,400-square-foot ranch house, is a cut-and-color shop. A haircut is $30, discounted to $20 if you get the $95 color treatment. In a downstairs nursery, the stylists’ babies play with mannequin heads. In a phone interview, Mrs. Steele, 37, described a kind of “Steel Magnolias” on permafrost, featuring Ms. Palin as a recurring presence."

What follows is a heartwarming and utterly pointless tale of one woman and the fact that she has a hairdo: "With more established salons throughout the valley, the Beehive would seem a surprising choice for Wasilla’s then-mayor. Mrs. Steele started the salon in 1997 when she, a recently separated mother of two, put a salon chair in her garage and painted the interior Barbie pink. The two experimented with full bangs, side-swept bangs, clips, curls, twists and blond streaks.

So that is how she and her hairdresser arrived at her look. And I would bet that when she is back on her home turf in Wasilla, the Beehive is buzzing with activity, including Palin's being there for a touch up.

You might enjoy this blog "Are You Having Trouble Understanding Sarah Palin's Hairdo?" It is complete with pictures that are worth a thousand words. Catch it here: Althouse Blogspot. (By the way, Althouse has taken a vow of cruel neutrality.)

Personally, I can’t wait to see Mrs. Palin’s hair put up in a French roll. Remember those?

However she styles her hair, I like her!

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Now, for the next thought: Marie at Knitted Gems (a daily read for me) was sweet enough to mention my blog as one she recommends. She gave me this award button:

(Can you see me blush? Thank you, Marie!)

Now it is my turn to chose seven other blogs which I enjoy reading. It seems unfair to pick so few, but in no particular order, please go check out these blogs and have an enjoyable read from these lovely lady bloggers:

We Do Not Have A Knitting Problem

Giggle Face Studios

Lovely Sweet William

Imminent Metaphor

Little Orange Kitchen

Grace Beading

Loopy Lou's Adventures Into Handicrafts
and even though this makes eight:
Cindy Lietz' Beads

Dogs and a Bewildered Toad; Cosmos

A little video from me to you, with music by Iris Dement

this is how we spent our weekend (on the lookout for snakes and toads)...

Relating to nature, above is a picture of one of our cosmos plants that is over 60 inches tall! The usual height for a cosmos plant is between 2-4 feet. A bit of information about these plants from Texas A&M says:

Spanish priests grew cosmos in their mission gardens in Mexico. The evenly placed petals led them to christen the flower "Cosmos," the Greek word for harmony or ordered universe. Cosmos, like many of our warm weather annuals such as marigolds, originated in Mexico and South America.

Have a nice Monday!