Mastering a Simple and Timeless Art...
Bead Embroidery 101
Bead embroidery is a relaxing hobby for crafters that requires no previous sewing or embroidery experience. It’s quick and easy to learn – the perfect craft for both adults and children alike.
Our Bead Embroidery Kits, produced by Abris Art, are available in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Choose from small projects that are perfect for framing on a desk or mantle, all the way to a very satisfying, wall-sized pieces of artwork with over 30,000 glass beads! – or any size in between.
You might also enjoy novelty kits, such as holiday ornaments, stockings and more.
We know what you’re thinking...it’s beautiful, but it looks so complicated.
But here’s the big secret to bead embroidery -- there are no skill levels!
Whether trying out a small, weekend project or embarking on a winter-long project...the techniques used to create your masterpiece are the same.
With bead embroidery kits, you can create like a master in no time. The only difference between small and large kits is how long it will take to complete. In this tutorial, we explore the entire process of stitching and finishing your bead embroidery project.
What Comes in a Kit:
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For this tutorial, we will be using the Summer Lemons Kit. On the front of your kit you will find design details, including the number of colors, beads and the finished size. Circled in red below, we see that our kit uses 1936 beads in a total of 9 colors. This kit is a size Small, which is a 5.9” x 5.9” finished size. Small kits are a great place to start, if you want to try out bead embroidery for the first time. They can easily be completed in just a few days, while learning all the same skills you will use for larger kits.
All materials needed are included in your kit:
1) Printed cotton embroidery canvas
2) Czech glass beads
3) Needle(s) and thread
4) Basic instructions for bead embroidery
When unpacking your kit, be sure to keep the cover image with your project until completion, as it may prove helpful to reference later on.
The Canvas:
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The heavy-weight, cotton painter’s canvas used in the production of these kits is thick and sturdy, making it easy to stitch on.
It retains its shape and vibrant colors, even with the weight of thousands of beads attached to it.
Located at either the top or bottom of your fabric, you will find the color key with a list of symbols that correspond to each of the bead colors.
Around the inner perimeter of your fabric is a fine line (see red arrow below) which gently divides the picture from the outer (selvage) edge. This extra fabric around the edges is provided for framing purposes and to provide a buffer around your artwork. The finished measurement of the work listed on the package (5.9” x 5.9” in this case) is referring to the size inside the selvage line. The extra fabric on the outside of the line is not included in that measurement.
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Bead Placement Symbols: The bead placement symbols throughout the fabric will be either round or oval in shape. In the case of our project, we see in the closeup (at the lower right) that our symbols are oval in shape.
In the closeup shown below, we see an example of a kit that uses round symbols. This example comes from the kit January Bitter Cold, a much larger kit which measures 11.75” x 15.75”.
Regardless of the shape of the symbol, you will stitch a bead over each one of the bead placement symbols. Some designs are beaded over the entire surface of the design, as in the case of the Ammolite Owl which uses an impressive 14,000 beads to cover it’s entire 9.5” x 13” surface.
Others are only beaded across part of the surface, leaving the printed background visible in many places. This creates a pretty, three-dimensional effect. We see on a finished example of the Summer Lemons kit below that the entire surface of the lemon slices are beaded while the flowers, leaves and whole lemons are partially beaded. The bees are not beaded at all.
As a general rule of thumb, larger kits use round symbols and smaller kits use oval symbols. With round symbols, the beads are all oriented in the same direction across the entire work. This works well for filling large, densely beaded areas. With oval symbols, the beads are oriented in different directions to create the shape that best suits the image. This is perfect for outlining or creating small cluster shapes. We will discuss this further below in Embroidery with Beads.
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​​The Beads:
The sparkle and luster of Czech Preciosa glass beads is what gives your finished work its professional, quality appearance.
Every kit includes extra beads in each color, so you will never run out of beads on a project.
This also gives you a margin for error, in case of mistakes.
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Some kits also include sequins or other decorative elements, as in the Majestic Wisdom kit, which uses ruby sequins and teardrop beads to create a richly jeweled effect:
The Needles & Thread:
Kits come with fine, white, beading thread. Again, it includes extra so you don’t run out mid-project.
This low-tangle thread is perfect for beading. However, in a pinch, you could substitute standard sewing thread, in a neutral color.
Sharp-point beading needles are included with every kit – small kits include one needle, while larger kits include numerous needles.
Because you are stitching through a thick canvas, needles tend to warp with time and will eventually snap. This is why large kits include extra needles.
Choosing a Bead Organizer
Before beginning your project, you need to decide what you want to use to organize your beads while stitching.
You can use any small containers...just be sure each bead color is separated and your containers have tightly fitting lids, to avoid spills.
Pillboxes are a popular in-a-pinch option.
If you enjoy beadwork as a hobby, we strongly recommend Bead Organizer Trays that are designed for this purpose.
Featuring shallow compartments that make it easy to pick up beads with your needle, these trays come with either wood or clear plastic lids that snap magnetically onto the tray for storage between sessions. These affordable organizers come in a variety of beautiful shapes and styles.
Let’s take a quick look at a couple different types of organizers:
Clear Cover Trays: Pretty and practical...clear cover trays come in the largest variety of sizes and have the benefit that the beads are visible, even when the lid is closed. Shown below is the 33-color Clematis Bead Organizer:
Painted Wood Trays: These organizers come in a variety of nice designs and are available in two sizes -- 10 or 16 compartments. The benefit is that the compartments are laid out in a grid, making it easy to organize your colors by number. Example, the Butterfly Bead Organizer:
Multi-Layer Trays: These trays hold large quantities of beads and accommodate beads of larger sizes, which is not necessary for most bead embroidery. Although the irresistible, engraved lids make these trays a pretty option. So, you can certainly use them if you like.
Our beautiful Duchess Bead Organizer is an excellent example of this style:
The only requirement in choosing your bead organizer is that the tray has at least as many compartments
as the number of colors in your kit.
For this tutorial, we have a kit with 10 colors and chose the Flower Garden Bead Organizer that holds up to 18 colors.
Filling Your Bead Organizer:
Beginning from color #1, pour your beads into each compartment, sequentially. There are a few things to keep in mind when filling your bead organizer:
1) Never empty the last bead from a bag. Always leave some of the beads in their original bag, so you can reference the colors later on, if needed.
2) When filling your organizer, make a mental note of your starting point, then work sequentially in a logical order around the tray.
We filled our tray clockwise, beginning with the #1 white beads and moving around the tray in a clockwise spiral.
Because we only have 10 colors, we have empty spaces left over.
3) Don’t overfill your compartments. If the beads are piled high, the cover won’t snap onto the tray. Fill them to a comfortable level, then refill as needed throughout your project.
Mounting on a Scroll Frame
Bead embroidery can be done either free-handed or mounted on a scroll frame.
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NEVER MOUNT BEAD EMBROIDERY ON A HOOP OR SPLIT-ROD FRAME because it will damage the image on the fabric and could break off beads, once you begin stitching.
Small kits, such as ornaments or the kit we are demonstrating with today, are easy to work free-handed.
Larger projects become more cumbersome to work free-handed, although it is possible.
We recommend scroll frames whenever possible, because the added tension on the fabric and the ability to use both hands while stitching makes the beading process faster and easier.
Before mounting, use a sharp scissors to cut the color key off the fabric. Keep this color key conveniently visible to you, during stitching.
The numbers on this color key match the colors on your bead bags.
Every scroll frame is slightly different but they all assemble in approximately the same way.
They come with two scroll rods, two spacer bars, four tensions knobs and scroll clamps.
We are using an 8” scroll frame for this tutorial.
Follow the slide show below to assemble:
1) Place the spacer bars on each side of the scroll rods.
2) Screw on the four tension knobs.
3) Place the top of your fabric on the top scroll rod and snap the plastic scroll clamp in place over the fabric.
4) Place the bottom of your fabric over the bottom scroll rod and snap the second scroll clamp in place over it.
5) Use the tension knobs to adjust your tension until your fabric is comfortably tightened in place.
If you don't have a scroll frame, it's best to keep your canvas gently rolled up while working, to avoid crinkling or damaging the image.
Optionally, you can place a needle minder magnet onto your fabric, for holding your needle during breaks in stitching.
Needle magnets come with two pieces which connect on either side of the fabric, as shown.
Choose a position that won’t cover any of your bead symbols.
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Embroidery with Beads
Bead embroidery utilizes a simple backstitch to attach beads. If you’ve ever done cross stitching, it's just as simple – the only difference being that instead of lining up with holes in the fabric, we are lining up our beads with the symbols on the fabric.
Before starting :
1) Make sure your hands are clean and dry.
2) Make a game plan for the direction of your stitching. While bead embroidery can be stitched in any direction, starting at any point, it's easier to work in a directional and logical pattern.
Pro Tip:
Right-handed stitchers should work from the top left to the bottom right (red arrows).
Left-handed stitchers should work from the top right to the bottom left (green arrows).
If you have a design that is densely stitched, you can also choose to work back and forth in horizontal rows, beginning from the top of your canvas and working down towards the bottom.
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For example, we are stitching right-handed, working our motifs in the following sequence:
To begin stitching:
1) Thread a length of thread onto your needle. Do not double your thread. A single strand of thread is plenty to hold the beads securely in place.
As with any embroidery, cut a length that is comfortable to work with and not too long.
An arm’s length is a good rule of thumb. If the thread is extremely long, it will be more prone to knotting.
2) Choose a starting point for your stitching. We chose to begin at the upper left corner of the lemon slice.
If you are working with oval stitch symbols:
Bring your needle up at Point A. Pick up the appropriate color bead with your needle tip. Then bring your needle down at Point B. (The red arrows below point to the stitch that we are beading)
​You now have one bead stitch completed:
You will continue this process, backstitching each bead in place. The diagram below shows the sequence of five stitches. Red letters indicate where you will come up from the bottom of the fabric, while blue letters indicate where you will come down from the top of the fabric, after picking up your bead:
If you are working with round stitch symbols:
Round stitch symbols are usually surrounded by 4 placement dots.
To stitch over a round symbol, bring the needle up at Point A (through the lower right dot).
Pick up the appropriate color bead with your needle tip. Then bring the needle down at Point B (through the upper left dot).
This results in the bead lying at a right-leaning angle, which is the desired effect.
If your symbols are not surrounded by dots, you will still stitch the same way, visualizing the appropriate position to bring the needle up and down.
Continue this process, backstitching each bead in place.
The diagram below shows the sequence of five stitches using round symbols.
Red letters indicate where to come up from the bottom of the fabric and blue letters indicate where to come down from the top of the fabric, after picking up your bead.
When starting a new length of thread, always secure your first bead with a double stitch.
To do this, place your bead as we’ve done above, then bring the thread back up through Point A again.
Insert the needle through the bead that you’ve already placed and bring the needle back down at Point B again.
This double stitch will help secure the first bead in place.
You also want to double stitch the last bead of each length of thread, as well as any single beads that are not surrounded by other beads in a cluster.
For example, in this section of January Bitter Cold, there are both 4-stitch clusters and single beads. We will not double stitch the 4-stitch clusters but we will double stitch the single beads, for added security.
This simple backstitch is the only stitch used in these bead embroidery kits. That’s all you have to do!
Changing colors is as simple as picking up a different color bead. No need to change thread colors, as in cross stitching.
Just keep stitching from one bead to the next until your entire work is beaded!
Managing Your Thread
A couple helpful tips to keep in mind when managing your thread during stitching:
1) As you pull the needle through, be mindful of the thread on the back of your canvas. As with all needlework, it’s easy to not notice the thread becoming knotted on the back of the work. A good way to help prevent this is to place whichever hand is not holding the needle on the back of the work and use that hand to hold the thread to guide it as it passes through the fabric. If you do encounter a knot, stop and un-tangle before continuing.
2) You can change your thread at any time during stitching. If it’s becoming too short to work with, or has begun to knot or fray, you may wish to begin a new length of thread. To do this, simply double stitch your current bead then bring the needle to the back of the work and knot the thread--bringing it through a couple stitches on the back of the fabric.
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Then, begin again with a new length of thread...being sure to double stitch your first bead.
When beginning a new length of thread, you can start right next to your last stitch. Or, you can choose a new starting point.
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There is no right or wrong with bead embroidery. Choose where you want to stitch and continue from there!
Troubleshooting Your Work
As easy as bead embroidery is, you may still run into an occasional snag.
Let’s discuss a couple of the common problems that you may encounter during your project:
1) Distinguishing Bead Colors:
From time to time, you will encounter a kit (especially those with a lot of colors) where two bead symbols, placed close together on the canvas, look almost the same. This may leave you wondering exactly which bead color you’re supposed to be using.
An example from our current project...
Colors #4 and #5 use very similar bead symbols--both brown, with gold centers. Color #4 just has a slightly darker center than #5.
If you encounter a symbol where you’re not sure which color is being used, or perhaps you feel that the color you think it shows doesn’t make sense in that placement...it’s worth a double check.
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First, pull out your bead bags and confirm that you have the correct colors in each compartment in your tray. Do the beads in compartment #4 of our tray, match the beads in bag #4?
If that’s not the problem, then pull out your cover photo.
Take a look at the photo and see what bead color is being used for the area in question.
In our example below, we see that the lighter color #5 beads are being used to trace the outside of the lemon slice, while the darker #4 beads are used to fill the center. This clarifies any confusion and we can proceed with our project.
2) Stitching with the Wrong Color:
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It’s very easy to memorize your bead colors, once you get started on a project. This makes for relaxing stitching, since you don’t have to refer back to your symbol key on every stitch. Unfortunately, sometimes you may not remember correctly and may not notice until later that you have been stitching with the wrong color.
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Usually, this will be a slight discrepancy. Perhaps you should have been using the baby pink beads, but instead you were using the rose pink beads.
Once you realize you have done this, you will need to assess your work.
Un-stitching is not a pleasant procedure with bead embroidery and, in many cases, it’s not necessary.
First, consider whether the bead color you used looks funny.
Oftentimes, the color still looks good and the mistake would not be noticeable to an outside observer.
If this is the case, consider how many beads you’ve stitched wrong. As we mentioned above, your kit comes with extras of all your beads.
So, if you stitched 20 of the wrong color, in a kit with 10,000 beads...don’t worry! So long as you’re happy with the appearance, just keep going and correct the colors going forward.
However, if you’ve stitched 100 of the wrong color, then you’ll need to un-stitch.
Or, if you stitched 20 of the wrong color in a small kit, where you know there were only a couple dozen pink beads to start with, then consider ripping back and re-stitching with the correct color.
3) My Fabric Keeps Getting Loose on the Scroll Frame:
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Scroll frames do an excellent job keeping your fabric taut, even during stitching. If the fabric feels like it’s getting loose, just loosen the tension knobs, wind the scroll rods and re-tighten the knobs. This is usually enough to re-tighten the fabric and get you back on track.
Scroll frames work best when you can roll the fabric around the scroll rod several times. In the example of the project we’re working today, the fabric is just barely large enough to fit into the scroll frame. This type of situation may result in the fabric coming loose more often, as the pressure from your stitching pulls it out of the frame.
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We can resolve this issue by disassembling the frame and moving the top scroll rod down to the center position, as shown below.
This, in effect, gives us a smaller scroll frame and allows us to tightly roll the fabric around the scroll rods several times for a more secure grip.
The gentle wrap of a scroll frame is what makes this type of frame perfect for bead embroidery projects because the beads will not be damaged or popped off the work as they wrap around the scroll rods:
Be sure to check out our FAQ page for more helpful tips and frequently asked questions regarding troubleshooting bead embroidery.
Finishing & Framing Your Project
You will always have leftover beads after finishing a bead embroidery kit.
Always keep those beads! Start a little stash – who knows what beautiful project you might incorporate them into later on!
Pro Tip: Diamond painting storage containers have become widely available online and are an excellent choice for holding your leftover beads because they allow for easy organization of small amounts of many colors.
Washing:
Unlike many needlework projects which are usually washed upon completion, it’s not usually necessary to wash your bead embroidery at the end of the project. If you do want to wash the project, lay it flat to soak in room temperature (or barely lukewarm) water, with a very mild detergent.
Do not squeeze, ring or crumple the canvas which may result in marring of the printed image and damage to the beadwork.
Once soaked, remove the canvas to flat towels and press very gently. Then, leave the canvas out flat to dry.
Never use any type of bleach product on your canvas. Never machine wash.
Ironing:
Occasionally, you may find that the canvas has picked up a fold line from packaging.
This line can be easily removed (especially before beading) by placing a thin, white cloth (slightly damp) over the flat canvas then pressing straight down, with a cool iron, until the fold line disappears. Never iron directly on the canvas or use high heat.
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Framing:
You have several options for how to finish and display your completed work. Framing is the most common which can be done in two ways:
Option 1 (Traditional Framing):
You can frame bead embroidery easily using a traditional solid frame--no different than framing a picture or any other type of canvas art.
The sturdy canvas will support the weight of the beads without sagging for a smooth, professional finish.
The important thing to remember about framing these kits is that they are produced in Europe and the original measurements use the metric system.
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As a result, many of the images do not convert into even inches.
For example, our project measures 15 cm x 15 cm which converts to 5.9” square-- not an even 6”.
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Most custom frames are only available in ¼” or sometimes â…›” increments.
So, if we want to source our frame from an imperial frame supplier, the closest frame sizes would be either 6” on the large side or 5â…ž” on the small side. This can be workable, so long as you measure your picture and determine exactly how the frame will fit.
If your picture does not have beads too close to the edges, you can go with a frame slightly smaller than the desired size.
And, while it would cut off a tiny bit of the edges of the picture, it would not be noticeable.
However, if your image has beads all the way out to its edges, you will need to go a little bit larger on your frame which may result in the thin selvage line being visible on the sides of your picture.
Either option can result in a very pretty result with only a slight imperfection, not noticeable to the causal observer.
Or, to ensure a perfect fit, source your frame from a metric frame supplier who can provide you with a frame the exact size of your project.
Once you’ve selected your frame, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for assembly.
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Note that if your frame comes with a Plexiglass front for protecting photos, you will need to remove it prior to framing because it will press against your raised beads and cause the image to not sit correctly in the frame.
Option 2 (Gallery Wrap): Another popular framing option, if you don’t want to deal with the expense and time involved in traditional framing, is to frame using a gallery wrapping technique.
Popular for canvas prints, this style of framing creates a beautiful finished result for a fraction of the price of traditional framing.
As we mentioned in our overview of the canvas above, your fabric will come with an extra selvage edge around all sides.
This extra can be used for gallery wrapping, either by a professional framing studio or at home.
Small prints can even be wrapped around light wood, cardboard or any stiff, flat material of an appropriate size.
The example below is the Blossom Kit.
Option 3 (Un-Framed): Not into framing? There are other creative ways to use your finished prints. Once you’re done beading, you can stitch canvas images onto pillow covers, or other home décor projects. Or even hang your finished canvas, unframed, as a wall hanging.
You can embellish the edges of your fabric with surface embroidery, floral accents and more, to personalize your design and make your bead embroidery truly one of a kind!
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Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found helpful information for your next beading project.
If you have questions, comments or ideas for tutorials you’d like to see, please leave us a comment below.
