How to make embroidered beads

            Here's an original technique for making embroidered beads, suggested by Colette.

    
Then I stitched my cardboard roll, starting on the right-hand side from the inside out (the thread knot remains hidden inside the cardboard tube, and you have to sew the two layers of cardboard together to secure the roll). Working from right to left, I made scalloped stitches: in fact, all you have to do is stitch the needle into the cardboard (a single layer) at regular intervals and bring the needle out through the loop made by the thread (photo on right).

Reaching the left end of the cardboard, I stitched the two layers of cardboard together again, as at the right edge, to finish securing the cardboard support for the future embroidered bead.

        
I iron the thread inside the cardboard roll to bring it out on the left side and repeat one row of embroidery from left to right.

    
For the 1st row I made as many stitches as necessary to evenly cover the length of the roll and I had to stitch twice in each weft loop. The work doesn't appear very regular at first but don't worry, it will become so after two or three rows when it's well attached to the cardboard.

            
To connect two lengths of wire, tie a knot so that once the wire has been passed from right to left inside the cardboard box, the connection is hidden inside the tube.   

  
When the entire roll is covered with embroidery, attach the last row to the 1st row with small sliding stitches.   

Finish the sides of the bead with stitches identical to the previous ones, making them on each loop flush with the edge of the hoop, then make a second row to close the side, embroidering only every other stitch of the front round. Pass the thread inside and bring it out on the other end to be finished in the same way. At the end of the work, when the thread is well knotted on the last stitch, pass it through the bead again and cut off the protruding length.