Itty-Bitty Bees...

Hi Girls!

A few of you wrote to ask how I created the little bees on the pins in my last post, so I thought I'd share how to make them.   All the interest was in what I used to make their wings.

I think their slightly dimensional, iridescent wings are what make them special because they catch the light.  The secret... tiny flower sequins!  ;) Yep!

This is so easy, you can figure it out just by looking at the pictures, but here are some quickie instructions anyway...

For each bee you see on my pin, I used one opaque yellow size 11 seed bead,  and two opaque black size 15 beads. 
For the three bees above,  all the beads are size 11.
The flower sequins measure 1/4" across.

First carefully snip off one of the petals on your flower sequin making sure not to leave any sharp edges, and gently bend two of the petals (wings) up just a bit by pinching them towards each other.  These bent petals will form the wings nearest the bee's head.

 Now attach this sequin to wherever you want your little bee to be with two simple stitches, stitching up through the center hole over half the sequin and back down,  with one stitch on each side.

After your sequin is secured, bring your needle up through the fabric again in one of the stitches you just made on either end of the sequin,  and add three beads to your thread as shown.

Bring your needle down on the opposite side the sequin from where you came up, (carrying your beads across the top of the sequin) and secure the beads in place with a knot on the underside of your fabric.

Now go back and add a couple of tiny straight stitches for the antennas.

It takes just about three minutes to make one of these bees...instant satisfaction! ;o)

Have fun making your own itty-bitty bees!    

 Paulette ♥