DIY Beaded Christmas Ornament Covers

Make your seasonal foliage shimmer and shine using nets of delicate beadwork – Geraldine Curtis shows us how. Add a little opulence to your trimmings this year with these glittering, embellished baubles. We’ve used clear glass balls as the starting point, which are easy enough to find these days, try the mail order craft outlets for supplies.

Alternatively spruce up your coloured spheres from last year’s Christmas display. Before you begin, lay the bauble on a folded towel on top of a roll of sticky tape to stop it moving around. Securing the thread around the neck of the bauble can also be tricky, so ask a friend to hold the knot delicately with a pair of tweezers and don’t worry if you’re left with a small gap. Then, follow our instructions carefully, make yourself comfortable and settle down for an afternoon of crafting fun.

You will need

Baubles clear or coloured with 21 cm (8.1/2″) circumference
Beads: iridescent and metallic purple, 8mm round or facetted
Strong thread
Needle size 10
Scissors

Step by step

1. Prepare the needle with 2.5m (3 yds) of beading thread. This may seem long, but it is easier than having to rethread all the time. Tie a slipknot 20cm (8″) from the end. This is to prevent the first few beads from escaping. Thread on three clear and one purple, seven times, until you have 28 beads in total. Now undo the slip-knot and tie together around the neck of the bauble.
2. Carefully pass the needle through three white and purple beads. Start the design at the far side of purple bead (diagram 1), refer to pattern pack. Thread on: five clear, one purple and five clear. Pass the needle through the next available purple in the circle of beads you have just tied. Repeat to make seven loops. When you return back to the first purple bead, push the needle through and down into the five clear and out the other side of the purple ready to begin making another row of seven loops (diagram 2).
3. String on: five clear, one purple and five clear. Make seven loops and when you get back to the first purple bead pass through and down five clear, and on to the next purple bead, ready to begin making another row of seven loops.
4. Thread on: seven clear, one purple and seven clear beads. Make loops as before and then return to first purple bead, pass through, down seven clear beads and into the next purple, ready to begin making another row of seven loops.
5. Cast on: nine clear, one purple, and nine clear. Make seven loops and repeat, return back to first purple, pass through and down nine clear into the next purple, ready to begin to make seven loops.
6. Add on: 11 clear, one purple, 11 clear, and make seven loops. When you get back to the first purple bead, pass the needle through, down eleven clear beads and through the next purple ready to begin making another row of seven loops.
7. Slide on: nine clear beads, one purple bead and nine clear. Make seven loops and when you get back to the first purple bead pass through, down nine clear and into the next purple bead, ready to begin making another row of seven loops. Now repeat step 4.
8. Slide on: six clear, one purple and six clear beads. Make seven loops and when you get back to the first purple, pass through, down six clear beads and into the next purple, ready to begin making another row of seven loops.
9. Thread on: four clear, one purple and four clear beads. Make seven loops and when you return to the first purple pass through, down four clear and into the next purple gem ready to begin making another row of seven loops.
10. On this last row thread on one clear bead, take the needle through the purple from the previous row and continue this technique all the way around, pull tight to gather into a star shape and tie off. Now fasten thread from beginning of pattern at neck.
11. For loop, first make a slipknot 20cm (8″) from the end of thread. Pass needle through two purple, the 8mm purple bead and thread on two purple, one clear and two purple. Wind around metal loop twice, take needle back up through to other side of 8mm purple. String on two purple, one clear, two purple, one clear, two purple, 70 clear, two purple, one clear, two purple, one clear and tie off.