Beaded Hardanger, the basics
Beaded Hardanger is something I’ve worked on for quite some time. I wasn’t far into my Hardanger journey before the idea of replacing the picot with a bead happened. But I wasn’t at a skill level where I knew how to go about it. You want to embroider without having to switch needles all the time so the trick is to match up your thread and needle to the beads. The limit you have is the size of the hole in the bead, because your needle needs to pass through not only once but twice. This means you also have to figure out which thread will fit your needle. Too thick for the eye and you’ll go nowhere. Which again means you will have to consider what kind of thread count you can use. It’s like a game of Dominoes really. For my beaded Hardanger jewellery I’ve used a no 28 John James tapestry needle, DMC Special Dentelles no 80, size 11 and 15 Toho beads and 40 count linen. I prefer Toho beads because they have larger holes than the more popular Miyuki beads. And again I prefer both Toho ...