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Quick and Easy Crafty Makes

Seed bead lace can be used to adorn a number of makes or become pieces in their own right such as this brooch. Once you learn the skills and techniques used you will be able to apply them to many uses.

FAQ on seed bead lace technique

What lace can you use?

You ca use any lace as the background piece, some will be more difficult to bead than others.

What else can you bead like this?

You can draw your own shapes on fabric and use the same technique

What can you use the finished piece for?

You can use the lace for anything…jewellery or apply to clothing, bags, belts. The possibilities go on.

Is it hard to do?

Whilst its not hard its certainly not quick so will require some patience. Also seed beads are fiddly and prone to dropping everywhere!

How to create seed bead lace

This beautifully embellished seed bead flower is created from a piece of lace. The lace, whatever shape you wish, is brought to life with the careful application of seed beads.

What you need

• A piece of lace
• Strengthening/Backing fabric
• Seed beads
• A beading needle (which is a very small, thin needle)
• PVC glue
• Fastenings ie brooch back
• Either a normal needle and thread or super glue to attach

How to create seed bead lace

Any lace with a strong design can be used. Simply pick the section you want and snip it out of the larger piece. 

This flower was strengthened with a wash of PVA glue and water before beading. It was beaded using a thin beading needle and seed beads in red tones.

Thread your needle (this is the really tricky part!) and sew from the back to the front either tying a knot where it cant be seen or leaving a piece of thread.

You can then slide multiple beads, around 3 works well, on your needle before creating a stitch and going back through the flower.

You want this row of beads to lie flat. Then you will go back up through your original stitch hole and slide your needle through the beads securing them in place.

Now repeat-three beads on the needle, stitch down, pull through and loop back. This uses a lot of thread but as you can see the end result is beautiful.

Create your designs influenced by the textures and shapes on the material

When the bead design is finished a strengthening background can be applied. 

The flower is now ready to be used for a brooch, an embellishment or in a piece of jewellery. 

We took this flower and attached a flat back brooch pin.

I also used the same technique to create my own bridal belt.

How do you plan to use this technique?