Applique... My worst nightmare

[n8tivechick]

HELP!!!! *pulling out hair* i swear i can't do it! can someone tell me from start to finish on applique work. i will praise you forever. Thanx
-Kelli

[Majii]

Are you doing it with two strings or one?

The trick is that it's mostly done/learned by trial and error.
What I have learned that you have to space the rows far enough apart so it will lay flat. If they are too close the work will curl and be uneven.
The best way that helped me was to put the beads of the string and lay them beside the row I was working on and sew them to the fabric and make sure I don't sew it too tight. It took a lot of practice/patience for me.

[n8tivechick]

please explain both

[BeadedPony]

One of the keys to good applique work is to have a good foundation of material/backing to do your work on and make sure that it is held taut. The folks that do great rosettes, for example, use a combination of a canvas-type fabric and thin (cigarette carton) cardboard. For larger pieces of applique work (blanket strips, etc.) I've used embroidery hoops or a custom-made frame. I also prefer the 2-needle style - 1 thread holds the beads, the 2nd thread with the needle does the sewing.

The best advice I can give is the same as with anything -- practice, practice, practice, practice...well, you gett the idea. :p

[tipis]

Beaded Poney, are you trying for Carnege Hall?

Too bad we cannot all get together for a crafts session somewhere to share ideas, see others beading and gossip.

tipis

[thestogs]

Maybe this will help --it's a technique I learned from a Creek/Seminole artist who does exceptional (museum quality) work on panel belts, bandolier bags, etc.

The toughest part might be explaining it...

I do my applique work on wool -- since all my applique work is of Creek origin anyway. I use a single needle. String seven beads at once and attach them to the fabric with a simple stitch that goes completely through the wool. With the needle on the underside of the fabric push the needle through the cloth next to the first bead, completing a circle of sorts. Pass the needle through the second bead, then stitch down the thread holding the beads. Come up through the third bead, pass the needle through the fourth and stitch down again. Continue until you get to the last (seventh) bead, at which time you will add seven more and continue on. It's a great system that produces very finely stitched, but flat work that is incredibly tight. I might have a diagram I could fax to you. Let me know if this helps or completely confuses you.

[Blackbear]

Crazy Crow also sells a great video on how do the running stitch and the two needle method. It is slow enough to learn by but fast enough to no bore you to death LOL. I learned how to do the running stich by accident after my mom taught me to embroider...since it is similar but you are putting beads on. I only use a max of 4 beads at a time though or sometimes the beads will be a bit loose...4 beads on..go in and come back up between the beads with the needle and then run it through the last two beads..string 4 more beads...that is my method anyhow.

[n8tivechick]

Thanks soooo much you guys, i think without this board i would have never been able to work out the kinks in beadwork!
-Kelli

[MrRuminator]

Originally posted by BeadedPony:
<STRONG>One of the keys to good applique work is to have a good foundation of material/backing to do your work on and make sure that it is held taut. </STRONG>

There's been good input here on this subject.
Applique as practiced by the Prairie & Missouri River people was a two needle process. Beads were strung on one thread and sewn down to the fabric, every two beads, with the other. The material the beads were applied to was frequently backed with old newspaper. If you look at the backside of the fine old work you'll see a beautiful pattern of fine stitches from the anchoring thread, almost to the point of it looking machine made. Beadworkers prepared little spindles of strung beads, a seperate spindle for each color they planned to use. As they beaded they simply unwound what was needed and stitched that to the fabric using a second needle. Again, they only stitched down two beads at a time producing absolutely flat work. Sometimes on close examination you'll see gaps between the bead rows or at the end of a row. These gaps were never filled in for when viewed as a whole, the eye (your preception) filled in the gap.

[n8tivechick]

hm... i am going to make hair thingy's and they are gonna be fully beaded. you know the kind that is placed at the ends of french braids. i was wondering if applique was used for that, and if not then wha is it used for? hmmm... i am not quite getting the 2 needle thing, what is the purpose of 2?

[Singing Otter]

thestogs, ya lost me. :p

I do the "one needle two beads at a time" type and while it's slow as all get out (I like the look with sz 13s) I like the look and tightness of the pieces. How do you get the same results with bigger beads?

[ June 17, 2001: Message edited by: Singing Otter ]