I'll be taking you through 4 steps to completing an embellishment from research to final product.
Hand embellishment is a trade that’s unheard of. It’s not common to find a ton of information about hand embellishment when you do a little google research. Unfortunately, we don’t have a huge amount of representatives in this field. We’re like a little secret that’s beginning to make its voice in the craft world.
With hand embellishment, it’s already seen by so many individuals on ball gowns, red carpet dresses, and most popularly - wedding dresses. Embellishment onto day wear clothing started emerging quite recently if we compare it to the history of embellished occasion wear.
Beads and crystals have been used to elaborately adorn wedding gowns for a very very long time, but I think it’s time to show the versatility of this craft, or piece of art as I like to call it.
Embellishment shouldn’t be limited to clothing at all. There is a whole new industry it can beautifully tap into, which in some cultures have already been used for, but is underrepresented in the western world, in my opinion anyway.
Interior Design
Interior textiles deserves a new wave of hand embellishment incorporated into its designs. I have discovered a small amount of interior embellishments on the market, this I am saddened to say. We can do much more to produce beautiful and creative pieces by simply experimenting a little more.
I am now encouraging my young students to think outside the box and begin embellishing onto things they normally wouldn’t have thought to embellish.
Children have amazing imaginations and are not afraid to experiment and try new things. This is why I want our children to start designing with their newly acquired hand embellishment skills (you can find out more about our online classes here)
My discovery of hand embellishment
Let me take you back to my discovery of embellishment. I love embellishment to such a degree that I decided to dedicate my career to it and specialise in this field.
My university teacher introduced me to this craft when I was studying my fashion and textiles degree - I originally specialised in embroidery for fashion, but I went even further and decided to pick embellishment as my niche (as if embroidery for fashion wasn’t a niche already!). Alhamdulillah, with the aid of Allah, I managed to break into the creative industry as an embellishment designer.
Why interior embellishment
Without going into too much detail as to why I left the fashion industry, fashion can lead one to create things that may not align with our Islamic faith - which is very important when selecting a career.
We begin with our Creator in mind, then pick a path that is pleasing to him.
The great thing about interior textile embellishment is that it doesn’t involve compromising ones Islamic values. The products you design are going to be used at home, and depending on your design theme, you can make it as subtle or as bold as you wish.
A woman’s passion is usually geared towards their home. They value its appearance and look for ways to beautify their abode. They spend a lot of time in this space so it’s natural for the woman to dress it beautifully according to their taste.
We have a market to fill with beautifully embellished pieces, and I think it’s about time we begin take charge and lead the way! Children are great students to train as their developing brains are more susceptible to new knowledge and experimentation.
Embellishing from scratch
Now the purpose of my article is to explain the process I personally take when designing and completing an embellishment project.
It’s with this training I challenge my students to start thinking about which interior textile piece they want to embellish onto.
You can embellish onto a table cloth, a cushion cover, a bed throw, a wall art, maybe sofas and even a chair!
I’ll go through a comprehensive list of what to do and what things to consider when starting and completing your designs.
How to hand embellish for complete beginners
Step 1.
Research for Inspiration
Before you begin making anything, you need to design your project. However, even before designing, you need research.
Researching for design inspiration is the first thing a crafter should do to get ideas flowing in their heads. I remember back at university, my tutor told me I needed research before I started designing, or my ideas would be limited and I wouldn’t be able to produce innovative designs.
Some may get confused with how to dissect inspiration from their research because they’re concerned it could be copying.
Copying a research, or inspiration, is when you’re taking 5 or more elements and putting it into your work. I remember going to a talk on intellectual property and they said 5 things had to be changed so that you didn’t infringe someone’s copyright. Very important! We could get into so much trouble if we’re not conscious of this.
Practical steps
I like to take 2-3 images and take a couple of elements from all images and combine into one design. You can increase the images to 4-5 so that you have a varied design that’s unlikely to be a direct copy of someone’s work.
I sometimes even do separate research for my colour palette so that my work looks even more different from the research I gathered.
Once you’ve gathered your research, let’s move onto the next step.
Step 2.
Rough Sketch
This is when you begin designing.
You want to either circle the areas you want to use, or take a mental note.
Then you’re ready to start sketching roughly.
A rough sketch is a stress-free way to start designing without any pressure. Some of us find it nerve-racking before putting a pencil on paper - but if you do a rough sketch, you’re less likely to feel frightened of the blank paper in front of you because there’s no pressure in making it look spectacular - it’s meant to look rough!
This is probably my favourite part because I won’t be judged and I won’t need to show anybody what it looks like.
I like to draw a few versions of one design because this will increase your creativity and will spark more ideas.
Get around 4-5 rough sketches down on paper before you move onto the next step.
Step 3.
Final Design
You’ll want to take your rough sketches and select the one you like best. You might decide that you like 2, then you can create a further rough sketch and combine them.
The final design is critical before embellishing. This is usually called the “artwork” and will be the pattern you follow when hand embellishing.
You’ll want to draw out your final design to an accurate scale (the correct size you want it to be) and select your beads and sequins and use their sizes to draw your final artwork.
Make sure this final design is simple enough to be transferred onto your fabric. If there are too many fine details and drawings it will be hard to see and transfer onto your fabric.
You want to start by drawing your final design on a clean plain paper. Make sure there aren’t too many fine details because these will be difficult to embellish (the smallest bead is around 1.8mm - an average bead is between 2-5mm).
Then you’ll want to take a piece of tracing paper and place it onto your final design.
Trace over with a pencil.
Then you’ll want to take a towel or folded up cloth and place it underneath your tracing paper.
Take a pin (a dress making pin, safety pin or a hijab pin) and start creating thick holes by following the line of your drawing.
Place your tracing paper onto your fabric and start drawing into the holes of your tracing paper with your erasable fabric pen.
I have a video below which will show you how this is done.
Step 4.
Once you’ve traced your design onto your fabric, frame it with your embroidery hoop making sure you use the correct size for your work. Embroidery hoops can come in many many sizes, even super small ones that’s 8cm wide!
Then set up your needle and thread, gather all your beads and sequins and place them onto a plate or mini tray (you can buy bead pots/trays on eBay) and then begin embellishing your work away!
To find out how to thread a needle, frame an embroidery hoop, and how to hand embellish, your children can learn from our online course here.
Your children will now see the fruits of their labour and will have completed an embellished piece!
Encourage them to value their work by remembering the sheer labour and thought gone into their final piece, as opposed to pondering and worrying about whether their work is “perfect” or “beautiful”.
When starting a new skill, there shouldn’t be pressure in making the best piece on your first, second or third go. It’s a natural process and they will become better designers and crafters with practice and time. In the meantime, they should develop an appreciation for their hard work and understand the processes that craftsmen go through to create the chair they sit on or the T-shirt they wear.
Children and handcrafting
Producing imaginative work is not easy or simple as some may think. It takes time to practice and get your mind in a creative state.
Children are less shy to experiment and this makes them a great candidate to design and handcraft without feeling the pressure or worry of failure.
Design is a subjective field and there is no right or wrong way of doing it. If we truly understand this we will feel less anxious before starting a new design.
I feel children require creativity throughout their childhood because creativity is a fun and entertaining way of learning.
Handcrafting in my opinion is an excellent way to make children love learning. Creativity can help develop children’s brain and strengthen their memory. It can make kids feel good by building self esteem, and can be a great way to distract them from stress and anxiety.
It can also be used to teach other fields of study, such as maths. It’s really down to the parent to create a fun learning environment at home so children are more welcoming to knew knowledge.
Pinterest has an abundance of ideas when it comes to creative learning and I’ve seen maths being linked to craft work.
Counting beads and working out the correct measurement for your fabric is a good way to practice maths.
Children will also need maths in hand embellishment when drawing their final design onto paper as they’ll need an “accurate” scale of design. For this, they’ll need to measure their beads and draw this measurement onto their paper - a great way to practice using a ruler.
I encourage you as a parent to stimulate interest in craftwork for your children by taking up a craft of your own, or you can encourage your children to sit with you and gather lots of craft ideas on a Pinterest board. You can even possibly do it together!
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