The main difference between church embroidery and secular embroidery is that a person busy with work receives not only aesthetic pleasure, but also strives to more fully reveal the inner meaning of the image.
The generally accepted method of embroidery has long been considered face sewing, approximated in artistic expression to the skill of an icon painter. Working on an icon is a titanic work, primarily spiritual. Therefore, this embroidery method requires not only the advice of a priest, but also his blessing.
Today, it is customary to embroider icons with beads in three versions:
1. The first involves placing a paper icon on fabric and sewing only the frame and vestments.
2. Working according to the second option, the craftswoman embroiders the vestment with beads, and the face using the facial sewing method.
3. Third method: you need to embroider with a cross, according to a counting pattern. It is important to remember that in this case the work will not be considered canonical.
Preparatory stage
Before you begin such a complex and serious process as embroidering an icon with beads, you must read a prayer. This can be either a prayer “Before starting any business” or an appeal to the Mother of God.
Bright light is of great importance, since bead embroidery requires both visual acuity and maximum precision.
Preparation of the workplace
It would be correct to embroider at the table. Remember that it is important to create for yourself comfortable conditions for work:
1. Cover your work surface with a cloth white. If a bead falls from the needle, it will not be difficult to find it.
2. Place the beads in the menazhitsa (each color in its “own” cell), for convenience, stick on it the numbers corresponding to the pattern.
3. On your right side, place the diagram you will work on.
4. Using a thread, mark the material into squares of 10 by 10 cells.
Embroidery materials and tools
To embroider an icon with beads you will need the following “ingredients”:
- canvas with a pattern;
- Czech (or jewelry) beads;
- needle;
- instructions (relevant for beginners);
- hoop (square or round);
- threads (monofilament is perfect for beginners);
- stones (semi-precious and ornamental);
- rhinestones;
- beads (various sizes).
Work on the icon “St. Helena”
Making an icon with your own hands assumes that you can embroider in vertical and horizontal rows. You can start from both the bottom and the top. The icon “St. Helena” is considered the simplest in execution.
According to experienced craftswomen, to make the “St. Helena” icon, it is most correct to start embroidering from the upper right corner and move in horizontal rows. The thread is attached to the wrong side, then brought to the “face” of the work in the lower right corner.
The master class will tell you how to properly embroider the face of the Saint Helena icon. Follow it, and you will certainly succeed.
Work process
The process of embroidering the icon “St. Helena” is as follows:
Important to remember
If one row turns out to be longer or shorter than the previous one, you can sew the last bead twice, and then return to the wrong side and small stitches reach the required area. If the color of the sewn bead accidentally turns out to be inappropriate, then you can use round nose pliers or pliers. Having carefully “seen through” the erroneous element, sew on the bead whose color matches the pattern.
We embroider the icon “Tenderness of the Blessed Virgin Mary”
Icons made of beads often “participate” in the decoration of the Temple. The icon “Tenderness” is especially loved by believers. Holy Mother of God", the prayer of which helps girls and girls to go through all the difficult stages of growing up with dignity. Embroidering this icon with beads requires some experience. In the photo, the hand-embroidered icon looks very impressive.
The difficulty lies in working out the small elements - the eyes, fingers and lips of the saints. Commercially available patterns that involve the presence of faces printed on fabric allow one to cope with this difficulty.
A master class will help you embroider the icon “Tenderness of the Blessed Virgin Mary” with your own hands. Do not forget that a special prayer must be read before work.
Preparing for work
Many icon patterns are more suitable for cross stitch. But, judging by the recommendations of the photos and video master classes, you can simply select beads to match the color and embroider icons from beads.
Experienced craftswomen, who share their secrets in photo and video lessons, advise working with “Aida 14” canvas and Czech beads No. 10 to work on this icon.
Process
In order to understand what size fabric you will need, you can count all the cells of the canvas and add one centimeter at the edges. Before work, you need to carefully thread the canvas into the hoop.
The width of the canvas is 149 beads, and the length is 150 beads.
The process of embroidering the icon “Tenderness of the Blessed Virgin Mary” is as follows:
The icon “Tenderness of the Blessed Virgin Mary” will be completely ready after you have embroidered all the elements of the pattern. If you wish, you can decorate your work with high-quality pearls.
Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
To create an icon of the Kazan Mother of God from beads, you will have to use mixed techniques. The “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon is made using the same principle. The diagrams are freely available, but you can also work with the picture found on our website. If you follow all the recommendations that the master class offers, then soon your work will delight you and your loved ones.
“The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God,” as well as the “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon, involves the use of mixed techniques of cross stitch and beadwork:
- seams “extended cross” and “simple cross”;
- half-cross stitch (counted bead embroidery);
- arched stitch (counted beadwork).
Process
Before embroidering the icons “Kazan Icon of the Mother of God” and “Inexhaustible Chalice”, a prayer must be read.
After this, you can safely get to work:
Video: embroidering the icon of the Kazan Mother of God
We embroider personalized icons
Not so long ago, personalized icons embroidered with beads, or the faces of guardian angels, became extremely popular. It is important to remember that there may be several “personal” saints, so before work it is important to consult a priest.
Process
The recommendations offered by a professional master class will help you make luxurious personalized icons that look great in photos:
Personalized icons do not imply the presence of broaches and knots. In order to avoid annoying mistakes, you will need to embroider, forming a loop - in 2 folds. At the end of the thread, the bead needs to be sewn twice and “hide” on the wrong side under several stitches.
In order for your personalized icons to turn out perfect, remember that:
- the quality criterion is evenness, and you need to embroider in diagonal or horizontal rows, inserting and removing the needle at the same “point”;
- if personalized icons are securely “hidden” under glass;
- personalized icons should be embroidered on linen fabric.
The finished work can be decorated with pearls.
We work with jewelry beads
Bead embroidery of icons is often compared to jewelry craftsmanship. Indeed, working with jewelry beads requires not only perseverance and patience, but also certain knowledge and skills. In this case, bead embroidery of an icon involves performing work that is almost invisible to the eye.
Features of work
Bead embroidery of icons is highly valued by art connoisseurs. In order to correctly embroider an icon with jewelry beads, you need to adhere to the following rules:
Embroidering a picture with jewelry beads involves working not by color, but in rows, from top to bottom;
Many craftswomen who work with jewelry beads recommend paying attention to material made in Czech or Japanese production. An icon decorated with pearls can become a real decoration of both a home iconostasis and a Temple.
To ensure that bead embroidery of icons always pleases you and your loved ones, follow these simple tips:
- always finish the row;
- remember that only the background and decoration of the saint is decorated with beads and pearls, while the face itself must remain untouched;
- make sure that the thread is long enough to reach the end of the row;
- if you treat the thread with wax, it will not tangle, and the work will be very durable.
Do not be upset if bead embroidery of an icon does not work out right away. Remember that the most important thing in spiritual needlework is the process itself.
Video: master class on icon embroidery with beads
AND Tatiana ( zhechko ).
Crochet (Rainbow of beads) "Virgin of Tenderness"
Article B-153
embroidery size: 20cm x 25cm
The embroidery kit includes:
1) canvas (linen with a printed pattern) for bead embroidery,
2) Czech beads,
3) a needle for embroidery with beads,
4) embroidery pattern and description of the work,
5) the frame for the beaded icon is not included in the set
Photo of Ksenia's finished work ( allianc
):
Photos of Tatyana's finished work ( zhechko
):
Ksenia's report:
Original taken from allianc
in Our Lady of Tenderness
I embroidered a beaded icon:
The icon of the Mother of God, called “Tenderness,” bestows great miracles. By the grace of God, believers turn to this icon and receive consolation from the Mother of God, healing in illnesses... They pray to her for various life situations, and the Mother of God resolves all difficulties and adversities.
Set from Crochet "Rainbow of beads" B-153 Mother of God of Tenderness.
Started March 20, 2012 - graduated on April 23, 2012.
With a break of a week (vacation in Siegburg with my daughter).
The impressions are twofold. Bead embroidery is absolutely MINE! I'm really enjoying myself. I enjoy every bead I sew on. Delighted with the scheme. From the result. From the process itself.
And the second contradictory feeling, even negative, is that when buying a set for 1000-1500 rubles, you need to be prepared for the fact that there are NOT enough beads!!! I embroidered two icons and this is the situation in both. This is very unpleasant!!! Because:
- here, far from the manufacturer, I did not find beads of this type;
- you need to get out like this:
1. so as not to “break” the drawing"
2. so that the icon does not lose its integrity and symmetry.
3. so that something comes out of the remaining beads. And there is not much left, moreover, right next to each other.
I was already ready write to the community and ask for leftovers from those who have already embroidered. And collect literally piece by piece. But - EVERYTHING WORKED OUT! And I'm happy!
Another annoying thing was the quality of the beads. It's terrible:
- the beads are completely different: thick, thin, faceted... - all this can happen with just one color. There were even cases where one side was thick, and the other was thin, up to the width of a needle (although this particular bead was used later too, I sewed it on and then rotated it on the canvas around its axis, to the desired side);
- a lot of marriage; broken, broken beads;
- a lot of beads without holes at all.
Why doesn't the manufacturer take this into account??? When compiling sets.
And when I replaced the nylon thread “Girl, in Russia there is only one nylon thread and it comes in two colors: white and black” (c) - there was no limit to my happiness and speed! It turns out that there are a thousand and one nylon threads in G. And I found “mine.” And there are... an incredible amount of these flowers. I found something in between white and clear. Moreover, I found it in the right plane. It is thick for nylon (does not flake, does not fray), but thin for beads.
Icon of the Mother of God Tenderness, is one of the most touching ancient images of the Queen of Heaven. It was in front of this icon, according to the contemporaries of Saint Seraphim of Sarov, that the venerable elder offered his prayers to the Most Holy Lady.
Icons of the Mother of God Tenderness embroidered with beads and stones
“Be according to your word...”
The history of this shrine, as the Holy Tradition tells, is connected with one of the most beloved church holidays among Orthodox Christians - the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
On the icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness, the First Intercessor and Intercessor is depicted without the Infant of God, at half height, with her arms crossed on her chest. The Mother of God is depicted here at the moment of her uttering words addressed to the Archangel Gabriel: Behold the servant of the Lord, be unto me according to thy word. Therefore, this image is permeated with special light and tenderness.
Do you need an embroidery pattern for this icon?
Master class: How to embroider a unique icon
Never embroidered. You really want to try, but you’re afraid you won’t succeed.
We dug through the entire Internet, but did not find the embroidery pattern for the desired icon.
We have already filled out many monotonous and boring patterns with embroidery, but my soul wants something creative.
Do you want to embroider a truly beautiful and unique image that will exist in a single copy.
Come to our master class on icon embroidery...
If you need a ready-made icon, you can order it and we will embroider it for you.
Or choose from already embroidered images
Our Lady of Tenderness - “The Joy of All Joys”
As noted above, the veneration of this shrine is closely connected with the name of one of the most beloved saints of the Russian land - the Venerable Father Seraphim.
As the saint’s contemporaries say, his entire life passed under the constant patronage and intercession of the Mother of God. The Most Holy Theotokos appeared to the priest many times when he was seriously ill and granted healing.
One of the most striking examples of the Queen of Heaven’s help to a saint of God is associated with his early childhood. When Prokhor (that was the name of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov before his tonsure) turned ten years old, he was visited by a very severe illness.
The parents no longer hoped for the recovery of their dear child, since every day he was getting worse and worse.
And then, in one of the most difficult moments of his illness, the future saint saw in a sleepy vision the Most Holy Lady Theotokos, who promised the boy to visit him one more time and grant him the long-awaited healing.
As soon as Prokhor woke up from his wonderful dream, he immediately spoke about the vision of his mother. Soon the words of St. Seraphim came true.
Little Prokhor was healed by the image of the Most Holy Theotokos “The Sign” carried by the Procession of the Cross through him hometown Kursk
Another case of help from the Queen of Heaven is connected with the desert life of an old man. Once, when the Monk Seraphim was chopping wood in the forest, three robbers approached him and, not finding money from the elder, inflicted very severe beatings on him.
The monk was forced to return to the monastery for treatment.
It was then, in a moment of serious illness, that the Mother of God appeared to him again along with the holy apostles Peter and, pointing them to the elder, said: This is our race. St. Seraphim kept several icons of the Queen of Heaven.
However, the icon of the Mother of God Tenderness occupied a special place among them. This image was very loved and revered by the elder.
It was in front of this icon that Saint Father Seraphim, kneeling, prayerfully went to the Lord.
The monk called his favorite image “The Joy of All Joys.” Over time, this name became very firmly attached to this icon.
Icon of the Mother of God of Tenderness in the Diveyevo Convent
After the reverend elder peacefully reposed, the image of “Tenderness” was transferred by Abbot Nifont to the Diveyevo convent, which was under the special patronage of Father Seraphim.
It was there, in the cathedral, that a whole area was dedicated to her. A silver gilded chasuble was made especially for the icon.
In 1902, Emperor Nicholas II donated a precious robe and a silver lamp decorated with multi-colored enamel to the Diveyevo Monastery. This lamp always stood lit in front of the main shrine of the Trinity Cathedral.
On the day of the discovery of the relics of the Venerable Father Seraphim, lists were made from the miraculous image and sent to Sarov and other monasteries. Twenty-five years later, the Diveyevo monastery was closed.
The Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God of Tenderness was saved from the desecration of the wicked by Abbess Alexandra, who took it out of the monastery and kept it for a long time at her home in Murom. She hid the precious salary in the ground.
Only in 1991, the miraculous image, along with other shrines, was transferred to the chambers of His Holiness the Patriarch, to the church built in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.
The Seraphim Icon of the Most Pure Mother of God Tenderness has two spelling options. On the first, the Mother of God is depicted wearing a white headdress and red-blue vestments
In the second version - with silver vestments and a golden halo, imitating the radiance of the sun's rays.
The celebration of the holy icon takes place twice a year - on August 10 (July 28, old style) and December 22 (10).
Icon of the Mother of God Tenderness is considered “feminine”, since girls and women usually turn to it, calling on the Mother of God for help in a variety of life situations.
Image "Rejoice, Unbrided Bride" helps in the conception and birth of children, the successful passage of the so-called adolescence, as well as in maintaining internal chastity.
Therefore, it is very good for fifteen-, twenty-, and thirty-year-old girls to have this shrine.
Icons of the Mother of God Tenderness embroidered with beads and stones
Icons of the Mother of God Tenderness embroidered with beads using rhinestones, amber, truncal, mother-of-pearl, pearls, gimp, precious and semi-precious stones. The faces are painted in oil on thin canvas. Approximate time two months for embroidery. Embroidery patterns for the Mother of God of Tenderness are not used.
Beaded icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Tenderness
