Beaded Hand Mirror

Materials:

paper pattern
pins
felt
scissors
needle
nylon beading thread
fiberfill
wood dowel for support
industrial strength glue
3" mirror
3" polymer clay face
assorted glass seed beads
leaf-shaped beads
sequins
word beads

1. Design the pattern on paper and cut it out (figure A).

2. Pin the pattern to two pieces of felt and cut them out.

3. Remove the pattern and pin the two pieces together.

4. Using a yard of beading thread, put on the needle and tie a knot at the end. Begin whipstitching around the outside edge, beginning on a lower edge seam. Stitch around the entire outside, stopping about two inches from the starting point (figure B).

5. Begin stuffing the form, forcing the fiberfill tightly in the corners with a pencil (figure C).

6. When the form is about two-thirds full, add the dowel and make sure the stuffing is tight enough so you cannot feel the dowel from the outside.

7. Whipstitch the remaining seam.

8. Glue the face cabochon on desired side of the doll (figure D).

9. Stitch small glass seed beads around the face to hide the seam between the face cabochon and the doll body. Add larger crystal beads on the second row of seed beads around the doll face (figure E).

10. Glue the mirror on the other side of the doll.

11. Peyote stitch (similar to the way a brick wall is built) small glass seed beads around the outside of the mirror (figure F) to hide the edge. Tip: Any decorative weaving stitch can be used or decorative fibers glued into place.

12. Add sequins and seed beads along the sides of the body of the doll (figure G).

13. Add leaf beads on top of the head for hair (figure H).

14. Stitch beads down the front of the doll in a brick stitch pattern (figure I).

15. Sew on beads in desired pattern on the back or mirror side of the doll (figure J).

Website: www.3catnite.com