Today I created fabric beads . . .

I will be using these beads to embellish the bags I am making using the Whispering Woods collection that I mentioned yesterday. (Robert Kaufman)

Below, is a photo of how I start. I used left over strips of fabric from the quilts I made last week and fused the wrong side of the fabric to a double sided fusible web. Leaving a 1/2" of fabric at the end with no fusible on it. This prevents your stick from getting all gooey . .

Cut through the fabric and the fusible paper, creating strips the width that you want your bead to be.
You can roll the entire 8.5" length for a fat bead, or cut it in half for a smaller bead. Below are examples of the two lengths and the size bead they create.

Roll the end that doesn't have any adhesive on it around the end of a bamboo skewer or a similar stick. Keep rolling to the end of the fabric.

Now hold the bead up against a hot iron and roll it slowly until it adheres together. If the bead feels soft, just heat it a little more. It should be fairly stiff when your done.


Well, here is my stash of beads, buttons and fabric beads ready for embellishing, now I need to get going on the bags!


PS. The beads in the top photo are made the same way, the fabric strips are cut into a long narrow triangle rather than the straight strip as shown here.

Stay posted to see the applications . . .