How to embroider icons with beads?

Embroidery - the occupation is as fascinating as it is laborious and requiring great patience. Of particular note is beadwork embroidery : the paintings made in this technique look very original and are real works of art.

Beginners in this kind of needlework often wondered whether it is right to embroider icons with beads, whether it is possible to do so and how to learn it. If you want to embroider an icon, you should first go to the temple and receive the blessing of the priest. Embroidery is considered a pious affair, however with one important exception: one can not embroider the faces of saints. These parts of the image are usually applied to the fabric by silk screening. This prohibition is explained by some canonical considerations: it is believed that embroidering the faces of saints in worldly conditions is unacceptable, only highly spiritual believers can do this, for example, monks working in workshops at monasteries.

Technique of embroidering beads icons

1. Having received the blessing of the church for the embroidery of the icon, choose the scheme you liked and the materials necessary for the work (beads, needles, threads, hoops, etc.).
2. Tissue base (silk or linen) iron, and spread the beads by colors for convenience.
3. There are various ways of embroidery with beads. Most often embroider in one line (vertically, horizontally or diagonally). It is important that all beads lie flat.
4. You can embroider each bead separately, and you can do this in whole rows (fixing the thread, dialing the whole color range of the beads on it and holding the thread in the last cell of the canvas, and fixing the beads at equal intervals on the "return way"). Sometimes each bead is sheathed twice - for special strength.
5. When the series is interrupted by the image of the painted elements (face and hands), the thread should be cut off. On the underside there should be no constrictions - this will help distort the image.
6. To determine which way you will be easier to master, you can see a few videos of master classes on embroidery icons with beads.
7. After the end of work, you should place the embroidery in the baguette, pulling it well. Passepartout for icons, as a rule, is not used. And after visiting the baguette workshop, the icon should be consecrated in the temple. Otherwise, your work will be just an embroidery on religious subjects, and not a real icon.

Tips for embroidering the beads with your own hands

If you want to embroider a beautiful icon, pay attention to the quality of the materials. The circuit itself can be purchased in a kit or obtained with the help of one of the special computer programs.

Beads are better to choose Czech or Japanese, because it, first, is more durable and does not fade, and secondly, is properly calibrated in size.

Threads ideally use ultra-thin (cotton, silk or polyester). They should not be twisted. Select the color of the threads by the color of the canvas (dark or light).

A separate issue deserves the question of how to insert such a thread into the needle. Craftsmen advise to burn a thread with a lighter or dip its tip into a clear lacquer, dry it and squeeze it slightly. As for the needles themselves, it is better to buy a whole package for the embroidery of an icon, since these needles often have a tendency to break and bend.