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You know how much we love to put a bead on it here at Brit HQ, and we thought it was high time we made some pretty beaded wallets. These cute zippered ones are perfect for stashing your essentials. And they make it easy to swap from purse to purse. We came up with three different pattern ideas—one edgy and colorful, one simple and chic, and one that’s an ode to analog. But really the pattern and color possibilities are endless! When you’re shopping for beads, look for ones that are completely opaque—the ones that are see-through can end up looking juvenile. Let’s get started, shall we?
These pouches are the perfect size for cash and cards, makeup, or your tech accessories.
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– small wallets or zippered pouches
– colored seed beads
– beading needles
– fabric glue
– toothpicks
– marker or pencil
Instructions:
1. Mark out your pattern on the wallet or pouch. You’ll be covering it with beads, so it’s okay to use a marker, but use a pencil if you think your design might change.
2. Using a toothpick put down a fine line of glue on the first line of your design. Make sure you cap the glue between each use, and grab a fresh toothpick often. You don’t want dried glue getting in the way.
3. Fill your beading needle with enough seed beads to cover the line. You can hold up the needle to measure the line as you go.
4. Press the line of beads—still on the needle—into the line of glue, and press down to secure. Make any adjustments to the positioning of the beads at this stage.
5. Slowly slide the needle out of the beads.
6. Repeat with each row of your design.
For the black pouch we really wanted to amp up the color. These double chevrons are on point.
A black pen is faint, but still shows up on a black bag. Remember you can also use a pencil.
Dip your toothpick into the glue to apply it to the bag. Make sure you cap the glue between each use to prevent it from drying out.
Carefully cover the line of your design with the glue.
Load up on blue beads! Once you know how many it will take you can count the beads instead of measuring against your design.
Carefully position the needle of beads onto the glue line.
Once you’re sure everything is secure, carefully slide the needle out of the beads.
Repeat the process for the rest of your design!
For an eggshell pouch, keep it classy with a black and white color block. The diamond has a sophisticated flair.
You can measure out the diamond shape or just eyeball it for this pattern. You just want the two sides to be symmetrical.
Start by gluing the center row and working your way out.
We chose white for the top.
And filled in the black on the bottom.
The last row is the easiest because it’s so small!
Think of this as our ode to analog—complete with Apple earbuds. The pattern mimics the dots and dashes of Morse code.
It’s quite dashing, isn’t it? Once again, you can measure or eyeball the design.
By now, you know the steps—glue, put beads on the needle, place beads, secure, and remove needle. Voila!
What pattern would you use on a beaded wallet? Tell us in the comments!
