Bead Embroidery Heart Ornament Tutorial

By Chris Franchetti Michaels, About.com Guide

See More About:

(Continued from Page 1)

11. Cut Out the Heart and Glue it to Ultrasuede

Carefully cut the backing material around your beadwork, leaving a small border of backing that is the width of about 1/2 to 3/4 of one seed bead. Be very careful not to cut through any beading thread.

Apply white craft or fabric glue to the center of the underside of the backing, and glue it onto a piece of ultrasuede. It's a good idea to keep the areas near the edges of the backing free of glue, because it can be difficult to stitch through when you create the beaded edging (see below).

12. Cut the Ultrasuede

When the glue is dry, cut the ultrasuede to exactly match the shape of the backing material. Keep the blades of your scissors perpendicular to the beadwork as you cut.

13. Weave-In to Begin a New Thread

Prepare another arm span length of thread, and weave-in through the outline of beads to add the thread to the beadwork. Pass through several beads, make a half hitch knot, and pass through several more.

14. Stitch to Position the Needle

To position the needle for stitching the edging, pass through the backing and ultrasuede, move over by the space of one bead, and pass back through both layers to the front of the beadwork again. Bring the needle out just outside of the outline row of beads.

15. Stitch the First Edge Bead

Pick up one red bead, slide it down against the backing, and pass the needle down through both layers just past the bead.

Bring the needle up around the edge of the beadwork and pass behind the thread that exits the bead (the middle photo on the left).

Gently pull the thread taut.

16. Stitch the Second Bead in the Edging

Use the same technique to stitch the second bead. Position this bead as close to the first bead as you can.

17. Stitch Edging Beads All the Way Around the Heart

Keep stitching edging beads, one at a time, all the way around the heart. When you reach the first edging bead again, pass the needle through all of the edging beads for reinforcement. Go through several beads at a time. It's a good idea to then turn the beadwork over and check to make sure that you didn't accidentally skip any beads. (If you did, use a beading awl to carefully pull out the thread and begin again.)

Then pass through as many beads as necessary so that you can bring the needle out just past the center bead at the top of the heart. From there, string as many cream colored beads as you'd like to make a loop for hanging your ornament. I used 15 beads.

To complete the loop, pass through that center bead in the edging from the other side. Optionally, pass through the entire loop again for reinforcement.

18. End the Thread and Add a Ribbon

Front and back of completed beaded heart ornament

Weave-in and end the thread by passing through beads in the edging, making one or two half hitch knots along the way. Bring the thread out and trim it off close to the beadwork.

Slide a ribbon through the top loop for hanging, and your ornament is complete!