◄ Back

Next ►

Crochet Bead Necklace With Ribbon Flower

Picture 1 of 6 (Click arrow for more pictures)

Materials & Tools:
1. DMC pearl cotton thread #8 (double strand) or cotton lace thread #20
2. Crochet hook: 1.5 mm
3. Plastic or wooden beads: 20mm Ø (5 pcs.), 18mm Ø (6 pcs.)
4. Ribbon (light weight): approx. 2 yards (depends on the length of the necklace)
5. Necklace clasp and jump ring
6. Tapestry Needle with long eye
7. Round Nose Plier
8. Scissors

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
sc2tog=single crochet 2 together
st = stitch
sl knot = slip knot
slst = slip stitch
fo = fasten off
mm = move marker

Patterns:
1. Crochet On  20mm bead
beg sl knot, make a big loop of yarn as the hanging string
r1 : ch2, 8sc in 2nd ch from hook (8 st)
r2 : *2sc in each st* repeat 8 times (16 st), mm
r3 : *1sc in first st, 2sc in next st* repeat 8 times (24st), mm
r4 – r8 : 1sc in each st first st, around, mm
Insert bead
r9 : * sc2tog in first st, 1sc in next st* repeat 8 times (16st), mm
r10 : *2sc in first st* repeat 8 times (8st), fo

2. Crochet on 18mm bead
beg sl knot, make a big loop of yarn as the hanging string
r1 : ch2, 6sc in 2nd ch from hook (6 st)
r2 : *2sc in each st* repeat 6 times (12 st), mm
r3 : *1sc in first st, 2sc in next st* repeat 6 times (18st), mm
r4 – r7 : 1sc in each st first st, around, mm
Insert
r8 : * sc2tog in first st, 1sc in next st* repeat 6 times (12st), mm
r9 : *2sc in first st* repeat 6 times (6st), fo

Get the above materials and tools ready. For light color thread, use light color beads like white or beige. Use black beads for dark color thread.

Make sl knot, leave a length of about 3-4 inches tail.
Follow the pattern and crochet with snugly tight tension. Tuck in the bead into the crochet shell when it says “insert bead”.
Continue crochet until the end.
Fasten off with a 3-4″ end.
Use a tapestry needle to insert the start tail through the hole and come out from the other side.

You have 2 ends on one side. Tie them into knot firmly.

Bring both ends back to the start end by using a tapestry needle.
Clip threads close to the bead. The thread ends are thus hidden inside the bead.
Repeat to all the beads.

Close-up photo of the beginning row of the crochet.
Close-up photo of the finishing end of the crochet.
String all the beads up by sliding the ribbon through the holes using a tapestry, with 5 bigger beads at the center and 3 smaller beads on each side.
If you like to space the beads in between, tie a big knot on the ribbon in between the beads.
Measure the length you want for your necklace. Cut away the excess.
Finally attach the jump ring and necklace clasp at the end of the ribbon.
As an option, you can also leave the tail ends long and tie into a ribbon instead of installing the clasp.

Here there is, the complete crochet bead necklace with the ribbon flower.
I went out for a cup of coffee with it, how about you?
Enjoy your day!!!!

I love jewelry making and always admired how beautiful the piece came out when the beads are put together.

Today, I have Johanna Of Tuuma & Toimi to be the guest tutor for Craft Passion. She is showing how to cover a bead with a crochet lace and make it into cellphone charm!!! Beautiful and simply a great idea!!!

If you go to her blog, you will find some beautiful crafts she made… especially this and this. It is in Finnish but some of the posts are in English. If you love good food, you will also find some yummy delicious recipes in Tuuma & Toimi too.

This tutorial really inspired me, I have an idea to make something nice for my neck. Stay tuned!!! Mean while, let’s learn from Johanna how to make this simple yet elegant crochet bead’s cellphone charm.

*************************************************************

Guest Tutor: Johanna of Tuuma & Toimi

I’m a fairly fresh blogger living in Finland. I’ve been a crafter all my life and I’m interested in various craft techniques. Making all sorts of tutorials is very familiar to me as I work as a craft teacher in secondary school. After school hours I still have fascination for my own craft projects of all sorts as it keeps me up to date with all cool things submerging continuously from various sources, especially in the web.

I got myself a new mobile phone and wanted to make a new charm for it, too. The new phone has a metal case and my old charm was made of plastic. It made a nasty clattering sound when hitting the phone case, so the new charm had to be softer.

This charm I came up with has a large bead covered with crocheted net where the bead underneath is still visible. You can vary the bead style with the bead finish and yarn color. If you attach a lobster clasp to it, you can easily unfasten it and replace it with another charm. Or why not use it as a pendant in a cord.

Materials and tools:
• Bead ∅ 15 – 16 mm (wooden or pearl bead)
• Pearl cotton size 8
• Crochet hook 1.25 (UK) / 8 (USA)
• Needle to weave in the tails
• Cellphone strap
• Eyepin 50 mm
• Small bead, silver plated ∅ 4 mm, 2 pcs
• Jump ring, silver plated ∅ 7 mm
• Lobster clasp, silver plated 12 mm (optional)
• Round nose pliers, flat nose pliers and side cutter

Abbreviations:
• ch = chain
• sc = single crochet
• sl st = slip stitch
• * – * = repeat what’s inside stars
• fo = fasten off

Pattern & Directions:
Start with crocheting a net on the bead. Try to make the stitches fairly snug.
Rnd 1: beg sl knot, ch 2, sc 6 in the 2nd ch from the hook, sl st in the 1st sc

Rnd 2: *ch 4, sc in sc* 6 times alltogether (makes 6 ch loops), sl st in the 1st sc, sc 2 in the 1st loop

Rnd 3: *ch 5, sc in the middle of the loop* 6 times, sl st in the 1st sc, sc 3 in the 1st loop
Rnd 4: work as rnd 3
Rnd 5: work as rnd 3
Rnd 6: *ch 4, sc in the middle of the loop*, 6 times, sl in the 1st sc

Slip the bead inside the net and continue to crochet.
Rnd 7: *ch in the middle of the loop* 6 times, sl st in the 1st ch and fo. Cut the thread leaving a tail and weave in both tails.

Slide a small silverbead, crochet covered bead an another silverbead on the eyepin.
Using round nose pliers bend a loop at the end of the eyepin and twist a bit round the pin. Cut the remnant pin with side cutter. Attach jump ring and clasp to the loop with the help of flat nose pliers. Now you can fasten the pendant to the cellphone strap and change another charm to the strap when ever you like.

If you feel crocheting in so small scale as this is too challenging for you, choose a larger wooden bead and a bit thicker yarn to work with and make a keyholder or a pendant for leather band.

Here is the pdf-tutorial for this project if you wish to download.

◄ Back

Next ►

Christmas Stocking

Picture 1 of 4 (Click arrow for more pictures)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!! May 2010 bring luck, joy and health to you and your loved ones!!!!

I am writing this on the day of Christmas Eve…. where has the days gone? It was like yesterday since I started making kanzashi Christmas Trees, then glittering some stars, wire wound some stars, followed by making holly berries, wreath, crochet Christmas Tree, plus some other crafts that I didn’t published here!!! A month passed by in just a blink of an eye, now, I am making my last Christmas craft for the year.

I made 2 Christmas Gift Stockings for my kids with their names on them and they are my last minute sewing projects. I thought I can never make it for the dead-line since I have to stay at home and take care of my son 24/7 whose nanny is on a 1-week emergency leave. With my determination and 4 “very” late-nights sewing, I made it!!! Yawn…. I really need a good rest after this Christmas, perhaps hibernate until 2010, lol… Just kidding, I will still continue making handicrafts but in slower pace. Don’t forget that I have another giveaway draw in early January, so, please don’t go far!!!!

These stockings (approx. 48cm H x 35cm W) were made out of a combination of felt, fabric and yarn materials. The overall material is felt sewed together with fabric, embellished by crochet (see pattern below), pom-pom, felt and beads ornaments. The stocking hem is a knitting piece of pom-pom yarn (click here for the tutorial). I used 1 ball of pom-pom yarn for the hem, made 8 stitches (2 stitches in between the pom-poms) for the row and finished the whole ball to get the length, the dimension is 40cm (H) x 10cm (W). Joint both ends together by sewing up the last row to the first row to make a ring.

Nicole’s stocking has a big pom-pom snowman and a small Christmas tree, whilst Ian has a big crochet Christmas Tree and a small snowman.  Both of them have their names appliqued on the stockings, each has a holly berry and are embellished with Christmas beads. As parents, we act fair to our children,  happy for them and easy on us, right?

The details of making of are as follow:

Pom Pom Snowman

1. 85mm and 65mm pom-pom maker
2. Wool yarn (white)
3. Felt for the scarf, button liner and snowman backing (red, green and white)
4. Wiggly eyes, 2 (10 mm diameter)
5. Pipe cleaner (orange)
6. Beads for the buttons and scraf
7. Crochet Santa’s Hat (refer the crochet pattern below)

Dimension: 15cm (H) x 9cm (W)

Make 2 pom-poms with 85 and 65 maker each. Reserve the tying string,  trim the pom-poms to 80mm (for body) and 55mm (head) respectively.Cut 2 round felts from the white color felt (60mm and 40mm). Sew the tying string to the center of the felt. Glue the felt to the pom-pom. Cut orange pipe cleaner to make the nose and mouth. Glue them in place. Glue the wiggly eyes. Sew button to the green felt, then glue the green felt to the belly. Sew the Christmas hat to the head.

Sew the body to the Christmas stocking, then scarf and lastly head. Overlap the scarf and sew it with an embellish bead, then glue it to the body.

Christmas Tree & Star Crochet Pattern

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
sc2tog=single crochet 2 together
st = stitch
sl knot = slip knot
slst = slip stitch
fo = fasten off

Materials:

1. Crochet yarn: green, white and gold
2. 2mm crochet hook (for small tree) & 4 mm crochet hook (for big tree)
3. Decoration beads

Finished dimension:
Small tree:  approx. 11cm H x 9cm W

Big tree:  approx. 15.5cm H x 12.5cm W

Directions:

Tree

Small Tree – Work on 2 strands of green color yarn and 2mm crochet hook

Big Tree – Work on 4 strands of green color yarn and 4mm crochet hook

beg sl knot

r1 – ch4, turn,

r2 to r5 – ch1, sc in each st, turn (4 st)

r6 – ch8 (standby), add yarn at the other end, ch8 , fo, turn (20st)

r7 – ch1 at the standby st, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 16 times, sc2tog, turn (18st)

r8 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 14 times, sc2tog, turn (16st)

r9 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 12 times, sc2tog, turn (14 st)

r10 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 10 times, sc2tog, turn (12 st)

r11 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 8 times, sc2tog, turn (10 st)

r12 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 6 times, sc2tog, turn (8 st)

r13 – ch1, sc in each st, turn (8 st)

r14 – ch4 (standby), add yarn at the other end, ch4 , fo, turn (16 st)

r15 – ch1 at the standby st, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 12 times, sc2tog, turn (14 st)

r16 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 10 times, sc2tog, turn (12 st)

r17 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 8 times, sc2tog, turn (10 st)

r18 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 6 times, sc2tog, turn (8 st)

r19 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 4 times, sc2tog, turn (6 st)

r20 – ch1, sc2tog, *sc in each st* repeat 2 times, sc2tog, turn (4 st)

r21 – ch1, *sc2tog* repeat 2 times, turn (2 st)

r22 – ch1, sc2tog, turn (1 st)

r23 – ch1, sc, fo

Border – White yarn

Begin at the bottom left corner of the Christmas Tree, ch1, sc in each st, sc3 in each st at all pointing out corners

Star

Work on 2 strands or 4 strands of gold color yarn

beg sl knot

r1 – ch2, sc in 2^nd ch from hook , *sc, ch4, slst into the 1st ch, sc* repeat 4 times, sc, ch4, slst into the 1st ch, slst again into the 1st ch of the star, fo.

Sew the star onto the tree top.

Embellish the Christmas Tree by sewing some snow flakes and red, green and white beads.

Snowman Crochet Pattern

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
st = stitch
sl knot = slip knot
slst = slip stitch
fo = fasten off
pm= place marker
mm = move marker

Materials:

1. Crochet yarn: white
2. Ribbon: red, 5mm width
3. 2mm crochet hook
4. Beads for eyes, mouth and button
5. Pipe cleaner: orange

Finished dimension:
approx. 9cm H x 6.5cm W

Directions:

Head

Work on 2 strands of white color yarn

beg sl knot

r1 – ch2, sc8 in 2^nd ch from hook (8 st), pm

r2 – *2sc in each st* repeat 8 times (16 st), mm

r3 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next st* repeat 8 times (24 st), mm

r4 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 2st* repeat 8 times (32 st), slst, fo

Body

Work on 2 strands of white color yarn

beg sl knot

Repeat r1 to r3

r4 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 2 st* repeat 8 times (32 st), mm

r5 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 3 st* repeat 8 times (40 st), mm

r6 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 4 st* repeat 8 times (48 st), mm

r7 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 5 st* repeat 8 time (56 st), slst, fo

Hat

Work on red color ribbon

beg sl knot

r1 – ch7

r2 – sc in 2^nd ch from hook, 1sc in each st for the next 5 sts, turn

r3 – stst, ch1, sc1 in each st for the next 4 sts, turn

r4 – ch1, sc1 in each st for the next 4sts, fo

Embellish the eyes, mouth and body with beads, nose with orange pipe cleaner. Sew head, body and hat in proper place, tie a ribbon on the neck as scarf.

Santa’s Hat Crochet Pattern

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
st = stitch
sl knot = slip knot
slst = slip stitch
fo = fasten off
pm= place marker
mm = move marker

Materials:

1. Wool yarn: red, white
2. 3mm crochet hook
3. Small white pom-pom

Finished dimension:
approx. 7cm H x 6cm W

Directions:

Head

Work on red color yarn

beg sl knot

r1 – ch2, sc3 in 2^nd ch from hook (3 st), pm

r2 – sc in each st, mm

r3 – *2sc in each st* repeat 3 times (6 st), mm

r4 – sc in each st, mm

r5 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next st* repeat 3 times (9 st), mm

r6 – sc in each st, mm

r7 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 2 st* repeat 3 times (12 st), mm

r8 – sc in each st, mm

r9 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 3 st* repeat 3 times (15 st), mm

r10 – sc in each st, mm

r11 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 4 st* repeat 3 times (18 st), mm

r12 – sc in each st, mm

r13 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 5 st* repeat 3 times (21 st), mm

r14 – sc in each st, mm

Continue with white color yarn

r15 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 6 st* repeat 3 time (24 st), mm

r16 – sc in each st, mm

r17 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 7 st* repeat 3 times (27 st), mm

r18 – sc in each st, mm

r19 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 8 st* repeat 3 times (30 st), mm

r20 – sc in each st, slst, fo.

Sew a small pom-pom on the tip of the hat. Roll up the end hem to meet the first row of white stitch, sew some stitches to secure.

Bend the hat so that the tip is pointing side way, sew some stitch to secure it in place.

This is an amigurumi type of crochet  Christmas Tree. Quite simple to make.

It consists of 3 parts:
1. The main Christmas Tree
2. The star on the tree top
3. The snow garland

Crochet Pattern

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
sc2tog=single crochet 2 together
hdc= half double crochet
dc=double crochet
st = stitch
sl knot = slip knot
slst = slip stitch
fo = fasten off
mm = move marker

Materials:

1. Crochet yarn: green, white and gold
2. 2mm crochet hook
3. Beads: pink and green
4. Sewing thread and needle
5. Poly-fill

Finished dimension:
approx. 10cm H x 6cm W

Directions:

Tree

Work on 2 strands of green color yarn

beg sl knot, make a big loop of yarn as the hanging string

r1 – ch2, 3sc in 2^nd ch from hook (3 st)

r2 – *2sc in each st* repeat 3 times (6 st), mm

r3 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next st* repeat 3 times (9st), mm

r4 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 2st* repeat 3 times (12st), mm

r5 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 3st* repeat 3 times (15st), mm

r6 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 4st* repeat 3 times (18st), mm

r7 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 5st* repeat 3 time (21st), mm

r8 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 6st* repeat 3 times (24st), mm

r9 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 7st* repeat 3 times (27st), mm

r10 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 8st* repeat 3 times (30st), mm

r11 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 9st* repeat 3 times (33st), mm

r12 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 10st* repeat 3 times (36st), mm

r13 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next11st* repeat 3 times (39st), mm

r14 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 12st* repeat 3 times (42st), mm

r15 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 13st* repeat 3 times (45st), mm

r16 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 14st* repeat 3 times (48st), mm

r17 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 15st* repeat 3 times (51st), mm

r18 – *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 16st* repeat 3 times (54st), mm

r19 – *sc2tog* repeat 27 times  (27st), mm

r20- *sc2tog* repeat 13 times (14st), mm

Stuff the tree with poly-fill firmly.

r21- *sc2tog* repeat 7 times (7st), mm

r22 to r28- 1 sc in each st, fo

Star

Work on 2 strands of gold color yarn

beg sl knot

r1 – ch2, *sc in 2^nd ch from hook , ch2, slst into the 1st ch* repeat 5 times, slst into 1st ch, fo.

Sew the star onto the tree top.

Snow Garland

Work on 2 strands of white color yarn

beg sl knot

r1 – ch211, turn

r2 – sc in 2^nd ch from hook, hdc, dc, hdc, sc, slst, *sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc, slst* repeat 35 times, fo.

Wind the snow garland  from tree bottom to tree top, secure with pins, sew to the tree body.

Sew some pink and green beads (alternate color) to the snow garland.

I created the crochet pattern for the blue 5-petal flower that I attached on “The Dazzles” after some requests from readers. And that was weeks ago, I have a tough time writing the crochet pattern as it involved 2 layers on the petals, front and rear, and they then join-up by single crochet the outer row along the petal. I want to make sure that my instruction is clear for you all to understand. So…. in order to make it easier to understand, I photographed and showed some of the easy-to-get-confuse instructions in pictures

Crochet Pattern: 5-Petal Flower

Click image to get free pattern in downloadable and printable PDF file
If you don’t have acrobat reader to view the pdf file, get it here.

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
st = stitch
sl knot = slip knot
slst = slip stitch
flo= front loop only
hdc= half double crochet
dc = double crochet
fo = fasten off

Materials:
1. Yarn (suitable for 3mm crochet hook)
2. 3mm crochet hook
3. Small amount of poly-fill
4. Decoration rhinestones and beads
5. Elastic hairband and brooch pin

Finished dimension:
approx. Diameter 115cm (4.5”)

Crochet Pattern:
Center
beg sl knot
r1 – ch10, join with slst on the first ch to form a base ring
r2 – ch1, 15sc in ring, join with slst on first ch to complete r2

Petals (5 clusters)
*(all crochet stitch is 1 crochet to 1 stitch, no increment, no decrement)
**
r1 – ch16, turn
r2 – 1sc on 2nd st from the hook, 2sc, 1hdc, 7dc, 1hdc, 3sc, 1sc flo onto the 1st st of the centre ring, turn
r3 – 1sc on 2nd st from the hook, 1sc, 1hdc, 9dc, 1hdc, 2sc, turn
r4 – 1sc on the 1st st from the hook, 1 hdc, 9dc, 1hdc, 3sc, 1sc flo onto the 2nd st of the center ring, turn
r5 – 1sc on the 2nd st from the hook, 1sc, 1hdc, 9dc, 1hdc, 2sc, turn
r6 – 1sc on the 1st st from the hook, 2sc, 1hdc, 7dc, 1hdc, 3sc, 1sc flo onto the 3rd st of the center ring, turn**
Repeat ** 4 times to make 5 petals on the front layer
Repeat ** 5 times to make another 5 petals on the rear layer
fo and hide the yarn end into the flower.

Join
Join the 2 layers of petals by single crochet the outer row together. 15sc on side, 3sc on tip, 15sc on side again, move on to the next petal. Stuff small amount of poly-fill into the petals before completely join-up both layer. Repeat 4 times for the other 4 petals.

Decoration
Sew some rhinestones and beads onto the petals to decorate it. Sew the elastic band and attach the brooch pin at the back of the flower to make it into hairband-brooch combo.

Note: The yarn I am using is woven type acrylic fiber which has a little elasticity and will not fray, you can try other yarn to create a different style on it.

Get ready to crochet the petal.

Make 16 chains follow the pattern to crochet row 2 until you reach “flo” instruction.

flo – Front loop only.This is the single crochet of the front-loop-only of the center ring. I used the front loop for layer 1, and reserved the back-loop for the layer 2 of the petal.

This is 1 layer of 5 petals and I am ready to make the second layer by using another loop of the stitch.

This is the rear side of the 1st layer. See the loop that I reserved (yellow pointer), now I am going to use this loop to crochet the layer 2 of the petal.

Completed first petal that has 2 layers Continue to crochet the rest until you have all 5 petals for layer 2.

Time to join-up both layer with single crochet the outer row along the petal.

Stuff some small amount of poly-fill to make the flower a little filling to add dimension to it. Continue to crochet until you reach the end of the petal, move on to the next petal. Skip the stitch that crocheted on the center ring.

Now you have completed the bare 5-petal flower, you can decorate it with beads and rhinestones to glamorize it (like the blue one I have made).

Attach an elastic hairband and a brooch pin at the rear side of the flower by hot glue, and the flower is ready to charm your apparel.

Have fun making one today!!!!

After you have finished your border beading, you can go ahead to fill up your shoes face with your chosen pattern. The photo below shows you an example of my design on a thong style sandal which I have not completed when I took the photo.

I used black color thread for this tutorial so that you can see the thread clearly. I normally use white color thread for the actual beading.
Make a big knot at the end of the doubled thread and you are ready to start your beading journey.

Beading is basically the same as sewing 1/2 stitch in cross- stitch. If you have the basic of cross-stitch, you are almost done with this tutorial.
Thread-out, pick a Japanese Round Seed Bead on the needle, according to the color on the pattern chat, thread-in upward diagonally to the top right corner of the square. Working from left to right.

The bead is secured on the canvas.
Tips: Upon the first thread out, leave a 1.5 inch length dangling on the wrong side of you canvas for anchoring. When you progress on the stitches, catch the 1.5 inch length under the stitches on the back of your project.

Again, thread out straight below the hole of your last thread in to begin the next bead-stitching.

Thread in diagonally, and you get 2 beads secured on the canvas.
Continue doing this in a row and refer to your pattern chat for changing beads color accordingly.

Go down to the next row when you have reached the end of the current row. Again, pick-up a bead….


Thread-in downward diagonally to the bottom left corner of the square, working from right to left.
Make sure you always stitch the beads in one direction so that they will align in the correct way for every row. I am using ////// direction, you can use \\\\\ direction, but all the up-down-left-right instruction will be in reverse form. It is best to follow my tutorial to avoid any confusion 

Thread-out vertically from the last hole you threaded-in for your next bead.

You are done with 2 rows and get ready for the 3rd row.

Repeat the instruction of 1st row…. thread-in upward diagonally to the top right corner of the square…..

Easy peasy, completed 3 rows.                                        

This is the wrong side of the canvas. The horizontal thread on the top row is the 1.5″ thread anchoring I mentioned above. You can do with or without a knot, but I prefer to knot it since it is more secure for beading work.

I drew a chat showing you the direction of the beading for easy reference. If you prefer to print it, right click on the chart, save it in your computer, and you can print it out later.
In summary:
*When you are working from left to right, always thread-in upward diagonally to the top right corner of the square.
*When you are working from right to left, always thread-in downward diagonally to the bottom left corner of the square.

This one shows the beading when you need increment and decrament for the pattern.
So far so good? Great!!!!
Now, you have 2 options on how to run your pattern in the shoes face. You can either do it by pattern (aka by color) or by row.

When you do it by color, you just refer to the pattern chart and sew all the squares that indicate that particular color. This the same as sewing a cross-stitch.
Pros of going by color:
*Handle only one bead color at a time, there would be no mess up in multi color beads.
*If you made a mistake in the pattern, it is easy to take out the beads by color and redo it.
Cons of going by color:
*Higher rate in making mistake since you may miscount 1 or 2 squares for some instants. Human make mistake, right?
*It is going to be messy at the wrong side of the canvas as the thread is running all over the place as you jump the stitching from one corner to the other.

If you choose to sew by row, just refer to the chart and pick up the correct bead color accordingly, row by row.
Pros of going by row:
*Lesser chance of making mistake as you can see the result instantly when comparing to the chart.
*Neater finishing at the wrong side of the canvas since you are beading row by row.
Cons of going by row:
*Have to handle various bead-color.
*It is going to drive you crazy if you find out you have made a mistake a few row above. You need to take out all the beading until you get to the one you need to correct.

There is no absolute answer if you were to choose to bead by color or by row, you need to experience it yourself to find out which suits you best.

Happy BEADING!!!

To be continue: Part 4 – How to take measurement on your foot ………

About a month ago, I was having a chat with Sumay, my dear friend, via facebook. She was telling me that she is going to help raise funds for a charity with a party. She was extremely excited about it and told me it is for Rumah Nur Salam which shelters street and stateless children in Kuala Lumpur. She asked me if I wanted to contribute my craft as one of the auction items in this event… “Yes, why not!!!” I replied immediately, it would be so meaningful to contribute my handmade craft for such a good cause.  So, we discussed over the net, brain storming which type of craft should I do, what kind of design and how to make it worth the value in the auction etc…. Since my expertise is in handbag or purse-making, especially ball clasp closure frames clutch, we decided to go with it. This brain storming session for the handbag design took a few days and not only involving Sumay and I, my sister who is also gifted in hand crafts contributed some of her brain juices too….. If you know me long enough, you will know that I am a perfectionist. I have to make sure that all my handmades are perfectly handicrafted, is a one-of-a-kind, limited edition, master-piece, and most importantly, if possible, who ever owns it will be so proud of it…..

I was under great stress for a week during the early stage of the brain storming because I couldn’t find  one design which I was perfectly satisfied with. I almost brokedown into tears as I seemed to have lost my direction and inspirations. I took a car-ride that day just to grab some fresh air and to clear my mind. I stopped in front of a shopping mall, suddenly the inspiration struck me when I saw a girl wearing a nice skirt and walked pass my car. The way she walks is so nice, elegant and simply…. CLASSY…., would it be good if I can make a handbag that resembles this style???? I quickly drove back with the new design in my head as I had no pen and paper in my car to sketch it down immediately. Phew, luckily I didn’t lose my train of thought while travelling back home which took about 45 minutes!!! Needless to say, once I reached home, the first thing i did was to dive into my craft room, sketch it down and begin the creation of “The Dazzle”. I chose my most favourite fabric which is no longer available from the shop and decided to use it.

On the same day I designed and drew out the handbag’s paper pattern. Next step is to get it decorated and sewn-up. Sound easy, right…. not at all, coming up with a good paper pattern is not as easy as I wrote over here, gasp!!!!

I want my handbag to get a little glimmer so I put some iron-on rhinestones on it. I like the glittery look on the handbag but I am very careful that I don’t dominate the handbag design by overdoing it.

Next,  I sewed some beads and sequins onto the flower prints. Only some of the flowers, not all, again I don’t want to overdo it and make it too sparkly!!!!!

I added leather and some metal buttons to create a bit of edginess to the soft design of  the beads and flowers. The photo shown below is the front and back of the handbag that hadn’t seamed up yet. I purposely took this photo to let you compare the effect of with and without the metal buttons on the leather I had both sides embellished to make them look identical….

A close-up look on the metal buttons…. they are not only used on bags but also on jeans, jackets and boots too. Look at the hand-sewn stitches of the leather… I used a 4-hole diamond tip awl (leather puncher) which I specially imported from Japan, hammered it on the leather to create a line of equally spaced guide holes, and sewed them with special leather needle and thread.  After having all the necessary embellishment done, sewed the side and bottom up, set it aside and move on to the the internal lining of the bag.

I didn’t capture photos on the process of the interlining as I was running out of time (and daylight too, was doing it in the middle of the night) and rushing to finish it.  Anyway, I used gold satin fabric to make the lining and added a zip pocket and 2 slips pockets in it.

As usual, I hand-embroidered my own label ” Craft Passion” and sewed it on the top of the zip pocket

Sewed them up and attached the sewable  ball clasp closure frame, fitted the chain straps, I thought I was done with the handbag!!!! But….. yes, I feel something is missing here…. I still feel that the handbag is too “empty”, I need something to boost it’s image!!!! So…..

I designed and crocheted a 5 petals flower to match with the flower print on the fabric as an add-on. Put 2 types of fastener at the back -  a brooch pin and a rubber band to make it into a brooch and/or hair band. It is flexible, you can use it as an embellishment on “The Dazzle”, pin it on your outfit  or tie it on your hair….

Consider all done and get ready to send it to the fundraising event organiser to get it auctioned???? No, not yet, not up to my standard without a proper packing!!!!

Below are some of the gift tags I made, chose one and tied it on.

Then, I sewed a semi-transparent red dust bag to store “The Dazzle” in and  beaded “Craft Passion” as the label!!!

ALL DONE!!! This time is for real!!! I packed them into the box, gasp, inhaled strongly just before closing the box, but I stopped. I took out “The Dazzle”, held it and looked at it until I am satisfied, put it into the box, sighed a while, took it out again, looked again, held it again, put it back again, repeated over and over again…. I told myself, since it is out for a good cause, I have to let go. I quickly sealed the box and couriered it to Sumay the next morning before I changed my mind.

That is the story from 2-3 weeks ago!!! Now, it is time to gear myself up for the fundraising party. Yup, I am going to the party and I want to witness how the auction goes with my heart and soul handmade – “The Dazzle”.  I want to see who is the lucky bidder to win “The Dazzle” and I want to take a photo with him/her.

Till the next time, watch-out my next post for the report!!!!

After having your frame and canvas prepared, shoes-face traced out, the next step is to sew a stretch of beads along the shoes-face outline like the picture shown below.

You need:

1. Japanese seed beads size 15/0 for the border
2. Very fine needle so that it can go through the hole of the seed bead
3. White color quilting thread
4. Needle threader (The needle’s eye is so small that you will appreciate to have this threader in hand )

The sewing method is to simply adapt the technique of back stitching, but with thread drawing through the beads on the working surface.

Pass through 1-strand of quilting thread to the needle’s eye and tie a big knot at the end of the loop to create 2-strand cord. The big knot is just to make sure that the knot won’t come out from the cross-stitch canvas. Draw the needle up at a distance of about 2 bead-length (1) from the start point (2). I didn’t take any pictures to show the start point, so please assume that the last bead on the line is the start point.

Pick 2 beads and sew it back to the start point (2). The picture shown below is pointing at the wrong place, sorry, didn’t get a good picture to show either :p I was trying to show you that I picked up 2 beads and not where I am pointing at….

This one show better, pull the beads all the way down to the canvas by the back stitching.

Complete 1 back stitch with 2 beads per stitch. Notice that the beads are crooked but stay on the line. Don’t worry, we are going to do some magic to get them straigthened up later!!!! But before the magic can begin, you need to finish beading the border until the end.

….bead…. back stitch…bead…back stitch….bead…. back stitch…bead…back stitch….bead…. back stitch…bead…back stitch….bead…. back stitch…bead…back stitch….bead…. back stitch…bead…back stitch….bead…. back stitch…bead…back stitch….bead…. back stitch…bead…back stitch….bead…. back stitch…bead…back stitch…

Once you have finished a line of border, pass the needle through all the beads along it. Please make sure that your thread is long enough to go from one end to the other.

Since the needle is not long enough for you to pass through all the beads in one go, do it in batches of about 15 beads each time.

Pull the thread and you will see that all the beads straighten up nicely… no more zigzag….

Do the same to all the borders of the shoes-face outlines.

Remark: Only the top and bottom outline need to do border bead. The sides are not required since it is going to be glued into the sole by the shoes maker. If you are making closed-toe type, there is onle one border at each shoes-face.

Now you have finished with the border, the next step is to fill up the shoes-fac with pattern….

To be continue: Part 3 – Interior Beading…..

These tutorials are going to split into 4 parts:

• Part 1 – Preparing the frame and canvas
• Part 2 – Border Beading
• Part 3 – Interior Beading
• Part 4 – How to take measurement on your foot
  

Here we are, at the very beginning among these tutorials: How to prepare your cross-stitch canvas….

You need:

1. A wooden frame measuring 11″ x 14″, preferably soft wood like pine so that you can press the thumb pins into it easily.
2. A 16-count cross-sticth canvas, white color, 11″ x 14″. Sew a border of 3.5″ width with cotton fabric
3. Some thumb pins
4. Shoes-face shape of your foot size
5. Pencil

If you can’t find the wooden frame, you can always substitute it with   easy clip frames (38 x 30 cm) or with a big embriodery/quilt hoop of 14″ diameter. You will need to resize your canvas to suit the frame you choose, but the minimum working area must be 11″ x 14″.

As you work along the beading process, the tension of the cross-stitch canvas will get lax at some point of time, re-tensioning is necessary so that your beading work is even.

Now, come back to our thumb pins option….

Double-fold the 3.5″ border and pin down the thumb pins to secure it, 4 pins on the short side and 5 pins on the long side.

Complete all 4 sides and make sure you pull the canvas in tension while pinned down so that it is tight and firm.

Trace the outline of the shoes-face of your foot size with pencil on your canvas. Mark the center-line. Trace both right and left side of your shoes-faces on top and bottom of the canvas respectively (just flip the paper pattern to change from left to right and vice-versa).  The pattern shown below is a simple casual thong style sandals. There are several types of patterns for you to choose from, closed-toe, opened-toe, horizontal single-strap, horizontal double-straps, diagonal-straps, crossed-straps, and many more…..

That’s it, now your framed canvas is ready for beading!!!!

Continue: Part 2 – Border Beading…..

Finally, I finished my second pair of Kasut Manek. It has been the most eye-straining project I have done. Average people take about 2 weeks, even months to complete but I took about 12 days (working throughtout day and night). I did my first pair about 9 years ago for my wedding, unfortunately it was stolen during a break-in.
The manek or beads I used is Size 15 Japanese Seedbeads. I used 7 colours: white, sliverlined blue, yellow, sliverlined yellow, opaque green, opaque chartreuse and black. There are manek shoes made from bigger beads, size 11 but personally I prefer the smaller size as it makes the pattern look finer and better.
First of all, clamp a 16-count cross-stitch cloth onto a rectangular frame, trace an outline of the shoes cover of the pattern and size you want (I got it from the shoes-maker who is going to do the final part of the shoes). Start of with sewing the top and bottom outline (blue colour beads in my picture shown below). Next, start sewing the beads from the center of the pattern. The bead should be sewn in diagonal direction on a square of the cross-stitch cloth. Pick one bead into the needle for every square you sew.

Upon finishing, you can give your manek shoes cover (shown above) to your shoes-maker to attach the sole and heel in order to complete the kasut manek. Choose the colour you prefer for the sole and heel. I used blue for the sole and white for the heel. The shoes-maker will need to measure your foot in order to perfectly fit your feet. If you can’t present yourself there, you can trace your foot outline on a paper and measure the width of the widest part across the upper arch of your feet. Some shoes-makers will want you to come again to fit the shoes before he nails and fixes it permanently.

***Update***

I developed a step by step tutorial for manek shoes beading:

• Part 1 – Preparing the frame and canvas
• Part 2 – Border Beading
• Part 3 – Interior Beading
  
• Part 4 – How to take measurement on your foot