How to Embroider a Knitted Baby Cardigan with Beads
A simple embroidery stitch, alternating left and right with a bead at every step, turns a plain knitted baby cardigan into something special.
Here I'm embroidering a baby cardigan with a bead stitch. This isn't just for knitwear. It's very much in fashion right now for summer, so try it on a kurti, jeans or a top, or on a handbag or purse.
What you'll need
- A sewing needle thin enough to go through your beads
- Embroidery thread or yarn
- Small beads
How the stitch works
Imagine a centre line running along the shape you want to embroider. Every stitch comes out on that centre line, and they alternate: one to the left, one to the right.
- 1:
Bring the needle up through the centre line from the back.
- 2:
Thread one bead onto the needle. Insert the needle just beside where it came out, and bring it up again on the centre line a little further along. Pull through. That's your first stitch.
- 3:
Add a bead. Insert the needle to the left of where it last came out, in a straight line, and bring it up on the centre line. Wrap the thread under the needle before pulling through, and hold the bead in place with your finger so it doesn't slide.
- 4:
Add a bead. This time insert to the right, bring the needle up on the centre line, wrap the thread and pull through.
- 5:
Keep alternating, left then right, adding a bead each time.
I worked mine in a full circle. On the front I added beads, and on the back I worked the same stitch without beads. Above the beads I added a simple plain stitch to finish the set. Try it and tell me how you like it.
- bead embroidery
- hand embroidery
- embroidery on knitting
- baby cardigan
- hand sewn
- handmade
- embellishment
- knitting finishing
