I'm so glad you guys liked the beading video! I'm having trouble shooting the second one, I need to go buy a tripod to get the right angle, so look for the second video next week sometime. In the meantime I had some questions come up so I thought I would answer them all together:
- How exactly do you have your fashion fabric attached to the cotton?It is stitched on with a machine basting stitch 1/8" away from the edge and then finished with a zigzag stitch along the edge. I took pics of the process of mounting the fashion fabric - now buried deep in the dress diary -
here is the link!
- Are you using metallic or wire thread?I'm using a gold machine sewing thread from Coats & Clark, which is sadly discontinued (I stocked up!). You don't have to use metallic thread for gold/silver beads though. You can use a gold/gray or clear thread. Just remember you want the thread to match/blend with the beads, not the ground.
- Are there certain threads for beading?Yes, although to be honest I rarely use them! The most popular beading thread is Nymo. It is 100% nylon, slightly waxed and comes in different colors & weights ("OO" is the finest weight threads, while "D" is the heaviest. "OO" is most commonly used for delicate jewelry making with small beads (12/0 or 13/0). For general beadwork, "B" is used with 12/0 or 13/0 beads, "D" for 11/0 or 10/0 beads.) Being nylon it's more durable than cotton but for beadwork on garments I haven't noticed a huge difference in wear and tear. I rarely use Nymo because I don't like working with nylon thread. I'm a bit of a snob that way.
There are 100% poly beading threads as well (Molnyke, Mettler Metrosene are some brand names). I haven't tried those yet. I generally work with silk or cotton/poly thread, the same as I use for garment sewing. It's always on hand and I'm lazy. :P
- What about needles?There are two kinds of beading needles, long and short. The long ones are the easiest to find but bend out of shape easily and can be unwieldy to sew beads onto a garment. I only use them for making fringe. The short beading needles are better for garment beading I find.
I prefer milliners/straw needles for beading though. The "eye" is small enough for standard 11/0 or 12/0 seed bead to slide through but the needle itself is thicker and sturdier than a typical beading needle. I'm using size 9 milliners needles on the Peacock Dress.