Bead Embroidered Heart Brooch

1. Draw a heart shape for the pendant on a piece of paper. Trace the heart onto Lacey’s Stiff Stuff and cut it out. Trace the heart pattern onto leather for the backing and cut it out. Shade the Stiff Stuff with a marker. Sand the back of the cabochon and glue into desired position with E6000 (figure J). Let set for 10 minutes.

2. Begin beading a bezel around the cabochon. Outline it with size 11 seed beads (figure K) and with a backstitch technique (4 beads down, stitch through backing, come up through two beads and repeat). Work this base row into even count peyote in the round until it reaches just over the edge of the cabochon. Bead the last row with size 15 seed beads to achieve a tight hold around the cabochon (figure L).

3. Draw lines, curves, or angles directly onto the Stiff Stuff to define areas of the bead-embroidered piece.

4. Use the backstitch method to create lines, fringe and "shag" technique to fill in with different sizes and shapes of seed beads. On fringes, add semi-precious, Czech beads, or metal beads to add color and texture (figure M).

5. When embroidery work is complete, determine the placement of the pin back and trace onto leather backing. Cut out the leather backing with a blade and a safe cutting surface. Set finding into leather (figure N).

6. Apply a thin layer of tacky glue to the back of the embroidered piece and affix the leather to the brooch (figure O).

7. Whip stitch the edge with two beads on the thread for each pass around the sandwiched embroidered heart brooch (figure P). Tie off the thread.

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