Happy Friday!
And happy-start-of-the-long-weekend to my fellow Canadians!!! HURRAY!
I am pleased to report that winter has, at least temporarily, been kicked out of my neck of the woods. HURRAY AGAIN! With the weather forecasters predicting 17C this afternoon and double digit temps all weekend I truly hope I don't have to share any more depressing icy pics with you until November. Hope I'm not getting too optimistic here...
Now if I could just kick this little cold my brother kindly gave me, I might just be able to get out for a weekend hike and (dare I say it) enjoy the weather????
I do plan to spend some quality stitching time on Santa this weekend as well. Yup, we're taking a much needed break from home construction. We may be thhhhhhissssss close to finishing but boy are we ever burnt out.
So just because I am committed to putting in a TON of work in on Santa I thought it would be a great idea to show you how far along I am right now.
I'd say I'm a little better than 1/3 of the way through on this chart so far. The really difficult parts are now coming up. I'm also leaving all the beading until last because BOY is there ever a lot of it. I figure the glass beads and my q-snaps may not make a lovely combo.
This will be my first time ever really beading. YIKES! I'm actually kind of scared because not only have I never really done it before, but I have also never seen it done before. Sure, I see lots of lovely pictures out there with cross stitch and beading wonderfully mixed, but it's not really helping me with HOW I go about beading.
Some burning questions I have are:
- What kind of floss do I use to bead?
- Do I even use floss?
- Will the bead cover-up the fabric so it's not visible so that the design will look complete and not "holey".
- Am I suppose to cross stitch the spots where the bead is suppose to go in a similar colour floss to prevent "holeyness"?
- Do I attach a bead and then tie off or do I do bead after bead?
So please, my dear stitchers, if you have any tips you want to share please leave a comment! I need your help :)
Wish me luck!
Have a great weekend,
Melissa
Oh I love to add beads to my stitching! I use one strand of floss that is the same color as the bead. I attach it as if to do a cross stitch and if there are many close together, I simple do a back stitch on the one I just fini8shed and move on to the next one. If the beads are like confetti and are all over the place I secure each one with a tiny back stitch and knot before cutting and moving on. Hope that helps....
ReplyDeleteopps! should read finished, where did the #8 come from?! Also I should have given you the link to a Mill Hill video...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiysxHEJiHA&list=PL8DA081EB7D183DC8&index=2 which is very good.
ReplyDeleteFirst, don't worry! It will look lovely!
ReplyDeleteGenerally speaking, I do half stitches for my beads, and only finish off at the end of all the thread. If it is a long section, I will occasionally run the thread under some of the stitching just to keep things tight.
I use floss, and sometimes it matches the fabric and sometimes the bead. If the beads are sort of hanging out by themselves, I'm more likely to match the fabric, but if there are bunch together, I usually match the bead.
I do not cross stitch below the bead, and then attach the bead. That would make the bead sit up too high. If you are using the same size fabric and beads as called for in the pattern, there shouldn't be any issues with things looking too sparse.
Good luck! You will do great and your finished project will look awesome.
I always use 2 strands of floss to match the fabric and have been using full cross stitches to attach the beads. They are more stable that way, in my opinion, and they will all lay in the same direction.
ReplyDeleteI love beading on stitched pieces! Let me know if there is anything more I can do/say to help!
I never had a large cross stitch/beaded project until this year. I used Dani's excellent advice and bought Nymo beading thread. I got mine at JoAnn's. I used a full cross for each one. No holeyness at all. Beware! Beading takes a LOT longer than stitching.
ReplyDeleteI've cross stitched my beads using the same color thread as the bead. If I am using 2 threads of floss to attach the bead, I will make the first stitch "/" through the hole of the bead using both threads of floss. Then on the "\" trip, I will split the 2 threads around the bead "\O\". I find it holds the bead on tightly and they lay uniformly. It's a pain but I love the look
ReplyDeleteI use Nymo as well.
ReplyDeleteI have done "railroading" with my beads before, but like the look of a full stitch done.
I'm sure you will find what works better for you. Try a few beads and if you don't like take them out and try something else.
I am agree with the above friends :)
ReplyDeleteBig hugs x
You have gotten so much better advice than I could give. I have only used beads a few times. I hope you enjoy your good week-end and get out for a wonderful walk!
ReplyDeleteI attach my beads the same as Joanie, they stay in place better this way and sit nicely. If there are alot of beads in the same area then continue on using the same floss, its harder when beads are used in a far off section and one at a time, you do get a little bulk in the back when tying off, but try to keep it as flat as possible.
ReplyDeleteOh good question. Seems everyone beads a bit differently. When I have beading to do (depending on the project) and since yours is a large wip, I use the same color thread as the bead. I do a half stitch to attach the bead. BUT I understand your concern about some spaces looking too thin. Stitch a few and see how it looks. I do like what Joanne suggests. I have to try that next time. Good luck. love Annette
ReplyDeleteGreat progress, Melissa! I avoid beading at all costs - I did a biscornu that was covered in beads and am determined not to put myself through that again. :S Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGreat progress! I loved that design since it came out. It's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI usually use one strand of similiar colored floss (close to the bead color or using the same color that is cross-stitched around it) and do a full cross stitch to stitch it on. (I feel like the full cross stitch makes the beads stand up better, otherwise they can be floppy as you go and do lots of beads in one area.) That's just me though. It probably depends on one stitching tension as well re: floppiness. It's whatever you are happy with in the end. :)