Beadwork

Decorate clothing as native Americans and early frontiersmen did.

Early beadwork (before 1840) was done with larger beads called pony beads. Later beads are the smaller seed beads. Strips of beadwork were usually made on a loom. Moccasins and pouches were usually decorated with beads applied directly using a lazy stitch or applique technique. Begin any beadwork by drawing a full color pattern on graph paper. If you are using regular graph paper instead of bead graph paper, use two adjacent squares to represent each bead. Obtain design ideas from books, paintings and museum objects.

Materials:

Procedure:

Beading on a Loom

  1. Homemade beading loom image

    Homemade beading loom

    Loom beadwork detail image

    Loom beadwork

    Beading image

    Note: When sewing beads down, do not pass the thread completely through the leather. No stitches should be visible from the back side of the leather.

    Lazy stitch image

    Lazy stitch

    Applique image

    Applique

    To make beaded strips, first construct a simple loom. Nail pocket combs to two pieces of 3/4" x 3" x 6" wood (as shown). On the opposite sides of each piece of wood, center an eye screw. Nail the two wooden blocks to either end-of a wooden piece 3/4" x 6" x 1' to 3'. This piece should be 3" to 6" longer than the desired strip of beadwork.
  2. Cut lengths of beading thread long enough to pass from eye screw to eye screw when stretched over the comb spacers. The number of thread lengths should be one more than the number of beads in the width of the strip.
  3. Fasten the thread to the loom separating each strand between the comb teeth at each end of the loom.
  4. To bead, first thread a beading needle and tie the loose end of the thread to an outside loom strand, near one end of the loom. Pick up enough beads on the needle to complete one width of the strip.
  5. Pass the needle and thread under the loom threads and bring the thread up snug so there is one bead between each of the loom strands.
  6. Bring the needle back over the loom threads and pass it through each bead. Pull tight.
  7. Repeat this until the desired strip is completed. If the beading thread runs out, simply tie it off to one of the loom threads. Tie on a fresh beading thread and continue.
  8. At the end of the strip, tie off the beading thread to one of the outside loom strands. Cut the strip from the loom. The complete strip can be sewn to leather or cloth.

Beading by Hand

Lazy Stitch

  1. Start by threading a needle and knotting the end.
  2. Pass the needle through the surface of the leather (not through the entire thickness) to secure the knot.
  3. Pick up 5 to 10 beads and lay them on the leather in a straight line.
  4. Take a small stitch at the end of the bead row with the thread going into the leather at the end of the completed row and coming out where the next row will start.
  5. Thread 5 to 10 more beads and lay these adjacent to the previous row.
  6. Stitch as before and repeat.
  7. At the end of the design, backstitch before cutting the thread.
  8. If the design is more than 5 to 10 beads wide, simply lay another series of rows adjacent to the first. Never string more than 10 beads to a row because the beads will sag noticeably.

Applique

  1. Applique beading is similar to lazy stitching in that no loom is required. Applique, however, requires two needles, each threaded with a single strand.
  2. String the beads on one strand and use the second strand to sew down the bead strand between every 3 to 5 beads. This technique works best for irregular designs and the floral patterns used by eastern native tribes.
  3. In any type of beading the neatness of the finished work depends on the uniformity of the beads and their tightness. Sometimes irregular beads are discovered after a row has been sewn in place. Rather than unstringing the row or cutting the thread, break the bad bead with long nose pliers. Then pull the thread tight again or sew another bead into the place.