Single Needle Beading Tutorial

Step 1:

Thread your needle, knot one end, and go up through your stiff felt.

 

Step 2:

Pick up 4 beads and tack them down, leaving about ½ bead’s worth of space between your first and last bead.

 

Step 3:

Now we are going to tack down our beads. Take the needle up between the 2nd and 3rd bead and go back down ensuring that the working thread is going over the thread that tacked down the 4 beads (see top view). Repeat this step for in-between the rest of the beads (1st – 2nd and 3rd – 4th). 

 

Step 4:

After tacking down all your beads, take the needle up before your 1st bead and thread through all 4 beads.

 

 

Step 5:

Thread on 4 more beads and repeat the tacking down technique outlined in step 3. NOTE: you will have to do an extra tack in-between the 4th bead of your previous string of beads and the 1st bead of your current string of beads.

 

Step 6:

When you have completed tacking down your new set of beads, take your needle up before the 4th bead of your previous set of beads. Then, thread through 5 beads total. Repeat step 5 until you complete your design!