Tuesday, September 30, 2014

How to Make Embellished Fabric Beads

Making beads can be really addictive!  Here is a way to make a rolled bead that uses fabric instead of paper and is embellished with strings of beads.


Start by rolling a short length of paper onto a bead roller.  Learn how to make your own bead roller from this tutorial.



Slide a narrow strip of paper onto your roller and roll it snugly, but not tightly (if you roll it too tightly, it will be difficult to remove later).


Secure the end with a small dab of glue.


Tear strips of fabric slightly wider than the paper strip and fray the edges.


Roll the fabric around the paper bead base to the size you want and secure the end with glue. The paper base will enable you to easily string the bead later, and gives it structure.


Remove the bead from the roller.


Wrap the bead in lengths of trim. I used crocheted beads from the dollar-fifty store, but you can use whatever bits and pieces you have leftover from other projects. String or yarn or narrow rickrack would look great!


Tuck the end under and secure with clear drying glue. Bam! You're done. These would make a nice addition to a statement necklace -- or use to embellish an art journal!