Bead Embellishments
 

Hi,
has anyone tried adding beads as an embellishment and used their sewing machine to attach individual beads? I’m making an art piece where I initially planned to use beads for embellishment. However, I forgot about the fused appliqué being an issue when trying to hand sew beads on. Any more than one layer and it’s nigh on impossible to get a sewing needle through the fused fabric layers. I searched for machine application and found one tutorial for it. Has anyone tried it?? I’m sure my machine will stitch through the fused appliquéd fabric….done that before. One of the biggest areas needing beads, I fused only the circumference perimeter so that I can do by hand on the inside. It’s the other areas that are multiple layer fuses. I plan to quilt before embellishing. Thanks for any insight to this proposed process.
Kathy

I have often used beads on art quilts -- on fused and even painted fabric. Have you tried a smaller, thinner needle? Sometimes I use an Appliqué Sharp, but what you're looking for is a thin needle with a hole small enough to go through the beads, but large enough to accommodate your thread. I bead by hand because it takes me more time with less control to do it by machine.

The fusible is Steam a Seam 2, so it’s really tough to get a hand sewing needle of any kind through more than one layer. I just found a pretty good video on YouTube, being demonstrated on a domestic machine. It looks doable, if a bit fiddly. At this point I’m stuck with fiddly I think, with hand applied where I can. Thanks!

For anyone who is interested in the YouTube video mentioned above it’s called “stitching beads on by machine” by ASG Corpus Christi.

I do NOT use beads/buttons/etc. as many of my quilts will go to children and I want nothing they can get off and choke on. I've seen children in the ER that have chocked to death because someone left a blouse (or other object) that had items that could be pulled off by the child chewing on it snd getting the item in their mouth. They were not always babies. 2 were almost 7yrs and they did it as a dare by a friend. We lost both of these kids. The mother was in the kitchen cooking lunch.

🤷 The OP clearly stated this is an art piece, not a quilt to be used on a bed, and as such will most likely be hung on a wall out of reach of small hands.

Kwiltr - I've never added beads or embellishments to a quilt, and usually when I see sparkly things on a finished quilt, they're Swarovski crystals that have been glued on with a special tool. Have you considered that? My thoughts on machine-sewing beads is that you could probably do it similar to sewing on a button, but depending on how large the bead holes are, it might actually be easier to sew them on by hand.

I’ve used beads. The type thread is important.

Adding beads
 

Be sure to steam until you break down the fusible. For me, I wet a hand towel, wring it out the best I can, place over a section of the quilt, place dry iron over section and count to at least 10. Remove towel and iron again.

I have tried sewing beads on by machine. I found it a bit tedious and hard to do so I usually just do them by hand. As I remember, I used tweezers to hold the bead in place to stitch. Depending on the beads, you'll need a small needle and fine thread.