Weaving Techniques || Adding Beads to a Weave Part 3

Yes you read that correctly, this is my third way to add beads to a weave. I can’t help it, the beads look so cute in the weaves and this third way is a really simple way that worked well. If you missed the other posts, I have part 1 here and part 2 here.  If you’re not really into the beads, no problem, I have many more weaving techniques listed here for you to try out.

For today’s weave, I’m adding the beads with a simple plain weave. This is great for having a flat weave with pops of beads in it. My first try at adding beads was to have the beads hang out of a pile (loop) weave, so I had to tie those to make sure they didn’t roll around and hide in the loops. That technique may have been the trickiest out of the three I’ve tried so far, but it’s do-able. It makes a really cute, almost rain-drop look to the beads. My second try at adding beads, I added a really heavy row of beads. Since the bead row was so heavy, I had to loop my beading thread around my warp threads for support. This time I’m spacing out the beads in my plain weave.

Here are the steps:

step 1| I selected my weft thread and a thread that I can bead through. I’m using a sewing thread that is thin enough to pass through my bead hole. Cut the two pieces of thread to the same length. I wove a few rows of the plain weave to get started.

step 2| after you have your threads started and you get to the point where you want to add a bead, put your bead on the string and let it slide down to your weave.

step 3| as you can see I wove the row already (and actually added some beads to make sure the process worked).  So with the new bead on the thread, I used my hands to work the bead over and under the warp threads to the spot where I want the bead to sit.

step 4| plain weave the next row under the bead to lock it into place.

step 5| continue weaving your rows, sliding a bead into place where you think it looks best.

See? Super easy and it looks really interesting. With this technique, I was able to add the beads at random where I thought they looked best overall, instead of having to plan it out ahead of time.  Personally, I like to have flexibility when weaving.  When I don’t give myself enough room to make changes as I go, I often end up not liking the end result.  Do you weave like this too or do you like the planned out design?

The weave I’m working on there is the scallop weave that I was also working on last week. I’m making it into somewhat of a patch-work type weave and I like the texture and color that the beads add. Have you tried adding beads to your weaves yet? If so which technique did you use to add them? Or maybe you added them in your own way. I would love to see what you are working on, feel free to share with me through email or on Instagram.

Happy Weaving!

Kate

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