Fabric Beads

These are made similarly to the paper beads I've made before. Fabric beads are more durable than paper beads. Another option in bead making. By using a plastic straw as the base to wrap the fabric, you have a sturdy base to the bead and use a shorter piece of fabric to make the bead, than when wrapping around a narrow skewer, as I did in the paper beads.
If you want to cut your fabric, you can glue the entire strip of fabric to the straw and then cut them apart. Used the fabric I painted earlier . I like the look of the torn edges, So I tore my fabric into about 1" strips. The length of the fabric should be about 2 -3 " that is wrapped around the straw. I applied craft glue to the entire back surface, then laid down a cut straw at one end. Cut the straw a slightly narrower that the fabric, so the straw doesn't show. Roll the fabric around the straw, keeping the fabric tight. Hold until the glue holds the last edge down.

If desired decorate the beads with fibers, wires, and /or seed beads as was done with the paper beads:

I had a thin strip of cotton fabric left over in making a quilt. I added some gold Lumiere paint by applying it with some plastic packaging material. Then cut the edges and wrapped the fabric around cut straws as above.

Added different fibers and beads to some of the beads.

By starting with fabric you paint yourself, you can create beads to specifically go with a particular piece of art.