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.

Winter Blues Wednesday

Adventures in Beginner Bead Embroidery : Handmade Gifts

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Can't believe another one has come and gone already. But now that gifts have been given and opened, I can share a couple of gifts I made. 

One of my BFFs and I went to an Art Fair earlier this year and there was a fantastic booth with the most incredible bead embroidery. I immediately became fascinated with a new medium and wanted to try my hand at bead embroidery. It was instantly addicting. 

Bear in mind that these are beginner projects without any training beyond a few You Tube videos! But the recipients seem to like their gifts. I made a couple of beaded cuffs ( and since I wasn't sure how this was going to go , I didn't take pics along the way) using felt scraps as my base and random patterns that just kind of unfolded as I went along. I also incorporated some coordinating ribbon scraps from my stash. 

This was the first one I made using my Mom's favorite colors. I did actually draw somewhat of a pattern on the felt. Once the top of the cuff was done, I stitched  heavy jewelry wire to the back then finished the back with a piece of ultra suede.  You can find lots of tutorials on You Tube and Pinterest to get you started. 

For the Blue Cuff  the process was the same only I added even smaller seed beads which now I'm even more addicted to. I like the combination of different sizes and types of beads. 

I quickly discovered ( especially for the smallest beads) that this is my favorite bead needle. They look delicate but they are very strong and when working with curves etc. so much easier to use than a traditional straight needle. You can get these at bead stores or craft stores. I got mine at Michaels. 

I couldn't stop once I got started so I also made this pendant which I used as the focal for a necklace: 

Before I added the backing, I glued a bail to the heart and then used a combination of bright and antique gold chains ot make the necklace. 

And while not bead embroidered,  I made these earrings to go along with the Blue Cuff: