Techniques B

Bead Embroidery

For single stitch embroidery,begin by passing the needle through the fabric, from wrong side to right side, at the place where the first bead is to go. String a bead and pass the needle back through the fabric right next to the bead. Bring the needle back through the fabric where the next bead is to go, thread one bead and go back down through the fabric. Continue.

Use bugle beads between two seed beads to protect the thread from the sharp edges on bugle beads and single-stitch as one bead.

For backstitch embroidery, begin by passing through the fabric, from wrong side to right side. String 4 beads. Lay the beads against the fabric and pass down through it just past the fourth bead. Pass up through the fabric between the second and third beads and pass through the last two beads just strung. String 4 beads and repeat.

Bead Knitting

Knitting one bead into one stitch is the technique to use for knitting charted designs. Insert the needle into the stitch to be knit as usual, slide the bead up against the needle, and pull the bead through to the front as you complete the stitch.

Brick Stitch

Begin by creating a foundation row in ladder stitch or using a secured thread. String one bead and pass under the closest exposed loop of the foundation row. Pass back through the same bead and continue, adding one bead at a time.

To decrease within a row, string one bead and skip a loop of thread on the previous row, passing under the second loop and back through the bead.

To increase within a row, work two stitches in the same space of the previous row.