Monday, February 13, 2017

Bead Embroidery: Angel Wing Pillow


I mentioned last month I was on a wing kick with projects like this and this. I finished the top of this pillow last monthy but finally got around to assembling it this weekend. I am NOT a seamstress! Sewing straight lines (questionable) is about my level of expertise. But it's done and I love it and the materials used sum up my style: a mix of rustic everyday materials and glam.

Supplies: 
  • Fabric

This is the rustic part. I bought a couple of fabric drop cloths in the paint department at my big box HW store a few years ago and I'm still using them for things. So yes, this pillow is made from painter's drop cloth but of course you could use anything! 

  • Beads
This is the "glam" part since I used a combination of antique French seed beads and metallic gold beads. I became enamored of bead embroidery last year at an art show and am working on my skills!


Process: 
I cut the dropcloth to the approximate size I wanted my pillow. Cut out the front and the back at the same time. Set the back aside. 

I freehand sketched the wing using plain old pencil, then started attaching the larger "outline" beads. I can see for some where bead embroidery would make people stressed but for me, it's kinda therapeutic. I think it's the repetition. And I will never be someone who's going for absolute perfection with each and every stitch and bead being uniform. 


After outlining, I beaded each of the sections with smaller beads and then finally filled in each section with the smallest beads.  You can see where some of my lines squiggle but I've found that you can fix this when you start filling in with other beads. The weight / pressure from the other beads will kind of straighten things out. It's a journey so practice practice practice! 


The dropcloth fabric fits perfectly with the fabric of my sofa and side chair. You can see another of my pillow projects (from waaaayyyy back ) in the background!

To finish, I stitched the top and bottom together, turned, stuffed and finished by hand.











6 comments:

Our Hopeful Home said...

Wow, you are so talented, really! It's great that you found yet another crafty passion to pursue. Who knows where it will lead you?It's beautiful, really. xo Kathleen Charm Bracelet Diva {At Home}

Michelle L. said...

Beauuutiful! So very you. Congrats on a new skill and minor obsession...it seems like something that could engross you in all the little moments and then you have a true work of art.

Unknown said...

Such a pretty pillow! I like embroidering but have not tried it with beads. Thank you for sharing at Link It Up Wednesday!

Unknown said...

I wonder how you got so good. This is really a fascinating blog, lots of stuff that I can Get into. One thing I just want to say is that your Blog is so perfect!
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