Beaded Shoes (Kasut Manek) Tutorial – Part 3: Filling In The Design

Continuing from Part 2 – Beading the Outline, it’s time for the fun part—filling in your beaded shoes Kasut Manek design with beads!

This tutorial is part of a four-part series on making Kasut Manek. Each part provides detailed guidance to help you through the process.

• Part 1 – Preparing the Aida Canva Frame
• Part 2 – How To Bead The Outline
• Part 3 – Filling in the Design (You are here)
• Part 4 – Measuring Your Foot

Just in case you have missed out on the details of the vamp design and the materials listings that we mentioned in the Kasut Manek main article, you can find them at the end of this article.

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Once your border is completed, you can begin beading the shoe vamp using your selected pattern. The photo below shows an example of my thong-style sandal with a heel in progress (it wasn’t finished when I took the picture). The design is simple, featuring circles of various sizes on the vamp.

For clarity, I’m using black thread in this tutorial, but for actual beading, I usually use white thread.

First step: Double your thread and tie a big knot at the end—this secures it so it won’t slip through the canvas.

TIP: When you first thread out, leave about 1.5 inches of thread on the back of the canvas. As you continue stitching, catch this tail under your stitches for extra security.

How To Stitch The Bead

Beading follows the same technique as cross-stitch, just with beads instead of thread. If you already know the basics of cross-stitch, you’re halfway there!

1. Thread your needle and bring it up through the canvas.
2. Pick up a bead (matching the color on your pattern chart). Thread in diagonally to the top-right corner of the square.
3. The bead is now secured!
4. Continue stitching row by row, changing bead colors as needed.
5. Once you reach the end of a row, move to the next row and repeat the same process.
6. Make sure you’re stitching in the same diagonal direction to keep the beads aligned. I use the ///// direction, but you can use \\\ if you prefer—just be consistent throughout!

This is the reverse side of the canvas. The horizontal thread in the top row is the 1.5-inch thread anchor I mentioned earlier. You can secure it with or without a knot, but I prefer to knot it because it provides extra security for beading work.

Beading By Color Or By Row?

There are two ways to bead—by color or by row. Each method has its own pros and cons.

Option 1: Beading by Color

This is like cross-stitching by color—stitch all squares of one color first before moving to the next.

✔️ Pros:

• You only handle one bead color at a time, reducing mix-ups.
• If you make a mistake, it’s easier to remove beads of that color and redo them.

❌ Cons:

• Higher chance of mistakes (miscounting squares happens!).
• The back of the canvas can get messy since the thread jumps from one section to another.

Option 2: Beading by Row

Follow the chart row by row, stitching each bead color as it comes.

✔️ Pros:

• Fewer mistakes since you can see progress instantly.
• Neater back stitching (no thread jumps across the canvas).

❌ Cons:

• You’ll need to handle multiple bead colors at once.
• If you realize a mistake a few rows back, removing beads can be frustrating.

Which Method is Best?

There’s no right or wrong way—it all comes down to what works best for you! Try both and see which one you prefer.

Next Up: Measuring Your Foot!

Now that you’ve filled in the design, you’re almost done! The final step is to measure your foot for the perfect fit.

Coming up next: [Part 4 – How To Measure Your Foot]

Happy Beading!

Tools & Materials

1. Japanese seed beads (size 15/0) – Used for beading the border
2. 16-count Aida cloth cross-stitch canvas
3. Cotton fabric – serves as a border to secure the Aida cloth in place
4. Wooden frame and thumb pins or large embroidery hoop to secure the Aida cloth
5. Shoe vamp design
6. Bead Design
7. Pencil
8. Long fine beading needle
9. fine nylon thread
10. Needle threader

Template & Designs