Pink Beaded Button By Debi Feyh, 2013 Materials needed: 4.5" square piece of colored cotton fabric to match beads – batiks are perfect* 5" square of medium weight interfacing, do not get the iron on type* Nymo thread (White, 815-542-0218) Beading needle, they need to be sharp not ball point (300-542-0220) 1.5" Button Cover (PRM60) Mill Hill Beads: #3044, 3034. 42010, 40553, 2083, 72053 Mini Posies Mother of Pearl Buttons (630-475-0002) Blue Moon Pink Pearls #BM17855* Pink bead soup (an assortment of pink beads of various sizes and colors)* Sequins-Pink, silver or clear* Small square beads* *Available from your local craft store To get started: Draw a 1.5" circle in the center of your interfacing then draw a 3" circle centered around the 1.5" circle. Tape the interfacing to the back of the fabric. Baste a line around the edge of the 1.5" circle so you know where to stitch from the front of the fabric. You will be taking this out when you are done, so knot the thread and cut it when you are done. TIPS: • Using no more than 24" of beading thread at a time, do each section as indicated by the chart. • It is good to go through your beads twice if possible. • When stitching long rows of beads, pick up 4 to start with. Let them lie on the fabric where you want them, then make a stitch straight down at the end of the group. Go back under the fabric and come up between the 2nd and 3rd bead. Go through the 3rd and 4th bead and pick up 4 more. Lay those down and go down through the fabric at the end of the group. Come back up between the 2nd and 3rd bead of the last grouping. Continue with backstitching style to attach the whole row. When you finish the row, take your needle and thread back them the entire row and tighten it up. This will make the beads lie nicer and reinforce the row. • When attaching bugle beads, always put a smaller bead on each end. Bugle beads are cut canes of glass and will wear on your thread. Here is the pink button showing it on the fabric, which is on top of the interfacing. We will work through the steps on the next page. An excellent resource for bead embellishments, and includes a section on beaded buttons, is Beaded Embellishment, Techniques and Designs for Embroidering on Cloth (#1847). The chart shows the order in which I recommend doing each section. Keep in mind that the number of rows or beads you use will likely vary from mine. It all depends on where you put your mother-of-pearl button and the distance you place your beads. Because you are using a color-coordinated fabric, it is okay to let some of the fabric show through. If you don't like it when you are done, you can use the petite beads and go back adding them into the spaces one bead at a time. Bead Key – A = #3044, Antique-Crystal Lilac G = Mother of Pearl Button – Posy B = #42010, Petite-Ice H = Pink Pearl Button C = #2082, Glass-Opal Hyacinth I = Pink Bead Soup D = #3034, Antique-Royal Amethyst J = Sequins, pink, silver or clear E = #40553, Petite-Old Rose K = Small Square beads F = #72035, Small Bugle-Peppermint To read the "code" B-H-B means you pick up one B bead, one H bead, and one B bead. Go back through them a second time if possible or backstitch for a long row. 1. Sew G in place with B-H-B. 2. 3 or 4 sequin bead stacks, J-H-C 3. 6 to 8 three beads stacks, E-E-E 4. 5 or 6 Bugle lines, E-F-E 5. 3 or 4 sequin bead stacks, J-A 6. Square bead line, will depend on size of your square beads. D-K-D-D-K-D 7. Arches – each arch is a different bead. Closest to the MOP button (G) and working outward: B, A, C, D. Fill in the sides with short rows of D 8. Fill in with rows of C 9. This is a conglomeration of your beads. Stitch down 3 or 4 bugle beads (E-F-E). Then fill in with stacks of 3 beads until you are happy with the results. The two beads on the bottom are touching so the 3rd bead on top stands up. .