Tag Archive | bead embroidery stitches

Slow Stitchin’ on Sunday Morning and A Heart a Day: 5

Feb5

In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces. February is National Embroidery Month, and I would like to share the pieces from some of my books, enjoy!

Week 1 of National Embroidery Month, 2023

For the Love of Embroidery! I love to embroider, which is no secret to all of you that follow this blog, or have taken a class from me, or even purchased one of my books. Thank you for that by the way, and thank you for your trust in letting me teach you, and thank you for letting me share this passion with you.

Embroidered and Embellished Small Projects

The first book that I wrote on the subject was called Embroidered and Embellished, by C&T Publishing. I chose to categorize the stitches into groups, that I named Traditional Embroidery, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Raised and Textured Embroidery, and Bead Embroidery.

Each of these groups includes 20 related stitches. I photographed the steps of the stitches for this book, like I did for my two ribbonwork books. My daughter pitched in and offered here lovely hands in a few of the how-to-directions.

I created a sampler and two projects for each of the four categories included in the book. The projects have detailed directions with diagrams of the assembly steps and stitches that I used.

Traditional Embroidery Stitch Sampler
Vintage Redressed Wallhanging Project

Traditional Embroidery: the stitches in this chapter include: chain stitch, zigzag chain stitch, chain stitch vine, straight stitch, outline stitch, outline stitch vine, blanket stitch, short-long-short blanket stitch, buttonhole circle, heart, lazy daisy stitch, lazy knot tip, lazy daisy flowers, looped tendril, tulip, sunflower, button flowers, fly stitch, wisteria, wild ginger, French knot, French knot flowers, and couched stitch.

All of the stitches in the sampler and the directions were worked in Finca perle cotton # 8 and Finca Mouline cotton floss by Presencia.

Silk Ribbon Embroidery Sampler
Lovely Silk Gardens Wallhanging Project

Silk Ribbon Embroidery: the stitches in this chapter include: feather stitch, feather stitch vine, split ribbon stitch, pistil stitch, couched ribbon, padded straight stitch, ribbon stitch, peony, colonial knot, pointed ribbon stitch, wildflower, ribbon loop stitch, ribbon loop posy, vine flower, twisted ribbon rose, woven ribbon rose, woven ribbon rose variation, rosette, gathered bud, and pin rose.

All of the stitches in the sampler and the directions were worked with silk ribbon or buttonhole twist from YLI; Wildflowers thread from the Caron Collection; or Silk Mori floss from Kreinik.

Raised and Textured Stitch Sampler
Framed Lace Wallhanging Project

Raised and Textured Embroidery: the stitches in this chapter include: open chain stitch, couched Japan thread, fly stitch leaf, feather fan, whip-stitch rose, whip-stitch rose variation 1, whip-stitch rose variation 2, spiderweb rose, petite twisted rose, bullion stitch, bullion posy, cast-on buttonhole stitch, buttonhole rose, cherry blossoms, tatted stitch, tatted posy, spiral tatted stitch, tatted rose, Chinese knot, and Christen’s shisha mirror.

All of the stitches in the sampler and the directions were worked in Finca perle cotton # 8 or Finca Mouline cotton floss by Presencia; buttonhole twist from YLI; Silk Mori floss or fine braid from Kreinik; or rayon floss from DMC.

Bead Embroidery Stitch Sampler
Beautiful Beaded Blooms Wallhanging Project

Bead Embroidery: the stitches in this chapter include: continuous bead stitch, beaded vine, lazy daisy stitch, lazy daisy variation, lazy daisy loop, lazy daisy flowers, beaded stamen, sunflower, button rose, French rose, sequin rose, sequin rose variation, flat leaf, lazy daisy leaf, stacked bead center. picot tip, bead cascade, single bead, bead combinations, and charms.

All of the stitches in the sampler and the directions were worked in size 6°, 8°, 11°, or 15° size seed beads; or larger beads in a variety of sizes; or sequins.

If you would like to stitch each of these samplers, you can find the template here.

You can see all of the books and products that I have created here. I wish you all the happiness and hope that you enjoy creating with this beautiful craft and art form.

Happy Stitching to you all! ~Christen

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Jan24

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

feeling groovy tea

Sitting here and listing to Simon and Garfunkel, with my cup of Darjeeling, thinking, hmm everything IS Groovy! Today I want to share some before and after pics of one of my favorite pieces, Bouncing Button Balloons. This piece was featured in my book, The Embroidery Book, by C&T Publishing.

Tip: Take photos before, during, and after.

I always, well almost always, take a picture of the finished base, and then the threads and embellishments I have set aside to use on it. The focus of this piece, was going to be the buttons, which are two fabric, and vintage celluloid. Here you can see all of the different fabrics, and vintage laces that were used to create the base. The embroidery for this piece was worked in three colors of Wildflower Thread, by the Caron Collection, with seed bead embellishments.

Tip: Before you stitch buttons and embellishments in place, audition them on the base. Once you have your design, and the audition is complete, take a photo with your phone, that way when you go to stitch them in place, you will have something to refer to.

7 5/8″ x 16 1/4″

Tip: When embroidering around a button, use stitches that will curve easily, like the blanket and the chain stitches. Here, I embroidered through the buttonholes first, then around the base of each button. I stitched the detail stitches with the lazy daisy, fly, French knot, and single bead stitches Then I embroidered the feather stitch coming out of each balloon, to look like the attached string.

Here is a close-up of the embroidery and embellishment stitches. This was a fun piece to work on, and it gave a new life to some old, funky, buttons!

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Bead Embroidery vs Thread Embroidery

Oct30

I love to embroider, which I am sure you can tell. I have two books that are specifically focused on embroidery. In the Hand Embroidery Dictionary there are over 500+ stitches, both traditional stitches and unique stitches that I developed for the book. In my book Beaded Embroidery Stitching, I offer you both traditional bead embroidery stitches as well as unique techniques that accommodate the special characteristics of the different bead shapes and sizes.

Below, I show you how various forms of thread embroidery can be adapted to bead embroidery and bead woven stitches. The use of beads in the bead embroidery and bead woven stitches certainly do bring a surprisingly visual and dimensional aspect to the work.

Here is an example of two crazy pieced sections of fabric. The first is worked in traditional thread and silk ribbon embroidery stitches, along with embellishments such as tatting, rosettes, charms and buttons. In the second piece, you see traditional stitches translated into beaded embroidery, with the stitches worked in seed beads in sizes 6°, 8°, 11°, and 15°. Embellishments include lace, larger beads, charms, and buttons.

This is an example of a sashiko pattern, the first is embroidered with perle cotton; the second is embroidered with 11° seed beads.

Here is an example of the cross stitch worked in perle cotton, and size 11° seed beads.

Here is an example of two brooches, worked in similar design. In the first I embroidered the Brazilian rose, and traditional leaves and French knot stitches in perle cotton; with a couched cord frame. In the second, I embroidered the a rose with size 11° seed beads, and added in bead woven leaves, and charms; with a beaded couched cord frame.

Happy Stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you are looking for inspiration or ideas, check out my PDF Classes and books.

National Sewing Month

Sep18

Day 18

Question: Do you like to crazy-piece, but sometimes find the sections so small, that it is hard to embroider every seam? In those cases, I like to “collage” embroider and embellish.

13″ x 13″

Scattered Splattered Tatters by Christen Brown

Left-over pieces of muslin fabric were crazy-pieced together, then hand quilted with perle cotton #12. Crochet, porcelain, and mother-of-pearl buttons are nestled into the lengths of tatted and machine-made lace, scattered crochet, appliqués and tatted components. The finished piece was hand-dyed with Colorhue dyes, using a Rustic Aging recipe that I created. This piece can be seen in my new book, Creative Stitching, Mixing the Old with the New, by C&T Publishing.

13 1/2″ x 13 1/2″

Wild Persimmons by Christen Brown

This piece started with a crazy-pieced base of silk and cotton fabrics, which was machine quilted in a random spiral pattern. A rayon cord was couched down with seed beads to create a pattern. The embroidery and embellishments that follow the pattern are vintage plastic and glass buttons, sequins, glass seed beads, and large beads. This piece can be seen in my book Beaded Embroidery Stitching.

Happy Stitching, ~Christen

National Sewing Month

Sep30

Day 30

Question: Is your art influenced by other works of art? YES is my answer!

12 1/2″ x 13 3/4″

Misty Blue Hills by Christen Brown

This piece was created with a printed upholstery fabric that I had for many (many, many) years, that I used for the center, because of the great coloring and lines. I pieced the simple border with blue and creme colored printed fabrics. The embroidery stitching follows the pattern in the center, using the blanket and fly stitches netted, along with the chain stitch double, chain stitch cable, chain, herringbone, feather, stem, linked bullion, stem/outline fern, open chain, portugese knotted stem, palestrina knot, string of pearls, coral, running stitch whipped, snail trail, and scroll stitches. The detail stitches were the French knot, bell flower and stacked bead stitches. I used a Sashiko style of stitching on the border fabrics. Many vintage glass, metal, shell and celluloid buttons were used for embellishments, along with two bone dragons.

Hand Embroidery Dictionary by Christen Brown, C&T Publishing
vintage embroidered bag
drawing of waves

I wanted to show you the comparison of the two pieces that influenced Misty Blue Hills (first image). The second image is vintage purse, made from a beautiful piece of fabric with tiny bead embellishments. The third image is the very famous piece titled “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. This is a woodblock print, that is also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, created by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai.

This piece is the cover and can be seen in my new book Hand Embroidery Dictionary.

Here is a recap of the month, may you find inspiration! Happy Stitching, ~Christen

  1. September 1, 2021– Question: Who did you learn to sew from?
  2. September 2, 2021– Question: What was your favorite garment that was hand-sewn, and who sewed it for you?
  3. September 3, 2021– Question: I like to sew strips, and straight seams. What do you like to sew?
  4. September 4, 2021– Question: What fabric do you like to sew with?
  5. September 5, 2021– Question: What is your favorite sewing tool?
  6. September 6, 2021– Question: What kind of sewing machine did you learn to sew on, and, what kind of machine do you sew on now?
  7. September 7, 2021– Question: When you design a project, do you like to use what is in your stash, or do you prefer to go to the store and search for materials?
  8. September 8, 2021– Question: When you work with a pattern do you follow the instructions, or do you interpret the instructions to fit your vision?
  9. September 9, 2021– Question: When you are stitching a pattern, do you strive for perfect seams, or do you cover up what was not perfect?
  10. September 10, 2021– Question: How do you choose a color pallet for a project?
  11. September 11, 2021– Rustic Americana, in Memory of 9/11
  12. September 12, 2021– Question: Do you sew functional forms or fabulous frivolities?
  13. September 13, 2021– Question: Do you like to work with solid color fabric, or prints?
  14. September 14, 2021– Question: Do you like to applique, if so, by machine or hand?
  15. September 15, 2021– Question: How do you choose a name for your project?
  16. September 16, 2021– Mystic Twighlight
  17. September 17, 2021– Variation on a Theme
  18. September 18, 2021– Charmed Square
  19. September 19, 2021– Lady Bird’s Bzzy Garden, and Lady Bird 2 by Christen Brown
  20. September 20, 2021– Psychedelic Balloons
  21. September 21, 2021– Big Leaves
  22. September 22, 2021– California Dreamin’
  23. September 23, 2021– Sand Pebbles
  24. September 24, 2021– Darling Motif Sampler
  25. September 25, 2021– Question: What sewer does not have a favorite needle keep, or pincushion.
  26. September 26, 2021– Question: What sewing enthusiast does not have a lot of precious scraps, that just can’t be thrown away?
  27. September 27, 2021– Wild Persimmons
  28. September 28, 2021– Question: What form of piecing do you prefer?
  29. September 29, 2021– Question: Do you plan out every detail, or do you approach your work with serendipity?

National Sewing Month

Sep27

Day 27

13 1/2″ x 13 1/2″

Wild Persimmons by Christen Brown

This piece started with a crazy-pieced base of silk and cotton fabrics, which was machine quilted in a random spiral pattern. A rayon cord was couched down with seed beads to create a pattern. The embroidery and embellishments that follow the pattern are vintage plastic and glass buttons, sequins, glass seed beads, and large beads.

This piece can be seen in my book Beaded Embroidery Stitching.

Happy Stitching, ~Christen