Beaded Embroidery Handy Pocket Guide

Tiny Shiny Treasures

I am happy to announce the arrival of my newest book, the Beaded Embroidery Handy Pocket Guide, by C&T Publishing. This pocket guide is the perfect place to start your exploration of bead embroidery. The book covers all the basics and beyond, including 40+ embroidery stitches, an introduction to bead shapes and sizes, bead finishes, embellishments, and more.

Thread Embroidery Stitches vs. Beaded Embroidery Stitches

Bead embroidery is a technique where the beads are stitched onto a piece of fabric using a special beading thread and needle to form a design, a border row, or an individual stitch. Thread and bead embroidery stitches will look similar, but the techniques are very different.

In thread embroidery, when forming a looped stitch such as the feather stitch, the thread comes out of the cup of the stitch, to catch the stitch and begin the next stitch.

In bead embroidery, the needle can be stitched inside the cup to catch the stitch, and then beads are added that will be used to form the next stitch.

Another option is to stitch the needle through a bead in the middle of the cup to catch the stitch, and then beads are added that will be used to form the next stitch.

Thread Embroidery Stitch: Blanket stitch even

Bead Embroidery Stitch: Blanket stitch even

Thread Embroidery Stitch: Lazy daisy stitch flower

Bead Embroidery Stitch: Flower with lazy daisy petals

A Variety of Embroidery Styles

Many forms of thread embroidery can be adapted to bead embroidery. The stitches in the Beaded Embroidery Handy Pocket Guide include a variety of both traditional beaded embroidery stitches and unique techniques that accommodate the special characteristics of the beads.

Crazy-pieced Embroidery

Crazy- and strip-pieced projects use a variety of embroidery stitches to embellish seams and open spaces.

Here is a crazy-pieced example of embroidery stitches worked in perle cotton, floss, and silk embroidery ribbons.

This is a crazy-pieced example of bead embroidery stitches that incorporate a variety of bead shapes and sizes.

Sashiko Embroidery

Sashiko embroidery is a very stylistic embroidery, worked with a straight or running stitch worked into a pattern, using a cotton thread.

On the left is an example of a pattern worked in Perle cotton thread. On the right is an example of the pattern worked with size 11° seed beads.

Cross Stitch Embroidery

Cross stitch embroidery is worked with the cross stitch, which is formed with two straight stitches, using perle cotton or cotton floss.

Here is an example of the cross stitch worked in Perle cotton #8, transitioning into an example of the cross stitch worked in size 11° seed beads.

Explore the Possibilities!

As you can see, beaded embroidery stitches have a surprisingly visual and dimensional appearance. I hope these examples encourage you to pick up a needle, gather those little glass wonders, and explore the possibilities!

Happiest of stitching to you all! ~Christen

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Pre-order Beaded Embroidery Handy Pocket Guide by Christen Brown at C&T Publishing!

Christen Brown teaches embroidery, quilting, crazy quilting, ribbonwork, mixed media, and beadwork in her best-selling books. With a degree in fashion design, she has shown her work in galleries and fashion shows internationally. She lives in Escondido, California. christenbrown.com