Few of us think of embellishing quilts with beads. It is not practical. But I really wanted to try my hand at beading for embellishment with hand quilting. This pre-printed square was the perfect choice for this experiment. It is the Queen’s Crown #1 (small quilt with beads – hand quilted). I would later make another mini quilt using the same technique.

Supplies:

• One pre-printed 18″ block from  https://www.quiltingstencils.com/ 
• 22″ piece of muslin for backing
• Batting to fit (I used a leftover piece)
• Glass beads in your choice of color (I used gold/yellow)
• Quilting thread (I used dark green color)
• Binding fabric (I used dark green cotton)

I basted this very closely in a bright thread that would not blend into the background. That eliminated safety or straight pins that the thread got stuck on.  It was easier to roll the fabric up in my hand then to use a hoop or small frame. I started the quilting in the center and worked on it in quarters. Use shorter lengths of quilting thread (about 12″) than normal because it was easy to get the thread caught in the beads that were already quilted on.  

The beads are quilted on – every time the needle came up through the top, put a bead on the needle tip and complete that quilting stitch. Time consuming, but makes for a beautiful, finished project. The texture as I run my hand across the top is a mix of soft and hard.

The binding is solid green that matches the front of the small quilt.

When I completed this mini quilt, I washed it by hand and laid it between two dark towels to dry flat.

QUEEN’S CROWN #1 (Small quilt with beads – hand quilted) has been part of my Christmas decorating for many years.

Lesson learned –

Don’t be afraid to try something different in quilting. I get many, many compliments on this mini quilt. However, it appears to be unique to me and that is just fine.

Here is another idea to use a pre-printed quilt top.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.