Rhinestone embroidery (diamond) has gained wide popularity quite recently and has practically eclipsed the usual methods involving the use of floss and beads. The embroidery technique allows you to create beautiful paintings, decorate clothes, shoes and interior items.
Rhinestone embroidery as an art form
Those who are still unfamiliar with diamond embroidery will be interested to know that with the embroidery itself, which involves the use of needles, floss threads or beads, it has nothing in common. The essence of the technique is laying out small (square or round) diamonds of different colors and shades on a base drawn according to a certain pattern. The result is paintings of indescribable beauty that can be regarded as real works of art.
The works that are laid out using Swarovski crystals look especially beautiful.
The history of technology dates back to the times of Ancient Greece. In the 5th century BC, craftsmen laid out mosaic designs on walls and floors, using precious stones as materials for the work. Popular motifs at that time were images of flowers and animals.
A little later they learned about diamond mosaic in Italy. With its help, palaces and temples were decorated and used for interior and exterior decoration of residential buildings and administrative premises.
The idea of replacing expensive materials with cheap plastic and glass rhinestones belongs to the resourceful and thrifty Chinese. Thanks to them, everyone can purchase a set and try their hand at creating diamond paintings.
How to embroider - techniques for beginners
You can purchase an embroidery kit at any craft store.. To work, it is necessary to provide suitable conditions - a perfectly flat surface and good lighting. The step-by-step layout process is as follows:
- The set is unwrapped and its contents are laid out on the table. For convenience, the canvas can be attached to the table with binders or glued to soft double-sided tape.
- Packages with rhinestones must be laid out in front of you by numbers or pour their contents into special containers, which are sold separately.
- There is no need to remove all the film from the canvas, the adhesive side may dry out, which will cause the rhinestones to lie unevenly. The film must be gradually folded back from the corner from which work began.
- The rhinestones are grabbed with tweezers and applied to the canvas in a checkered pattern. with the same number. It is necessary to ensure that the rows are even, otherwise the overall appearance of the picture will suffer. A long and wide ruler will help you align the rows; you need to apply it both horizontally and vertically.
- After all the cells are filled with rhinestones, The picture needs to be covered with gauze and walked over it several times with a rolling pin to secure it.
Beginners can pay attention to the following recommendations from professionals:
- crystals can be laid out in rows, stripes or in a checkerboard pattern;
- you need to press the rhinestones against the canvas until you hear a click, signaling that the element is securely fastened;
- paintings with partial filling look worse than those that are laid out completely.
The finished painting must be placed in a frame and covered with anti-reflective glass. Otherwise, dust will collect on it, which will ruin the entire appearance.
Where is rhinestone embroidery used?
Using ready-made kits for embroidery with rhinestones, you can do the following:
- A picture. Landscapes, still lifes, images of animals and even reproductions of works by famous artists You can “embroider” it yourself using small shiny rhinestones. Such paintings will fit into any kitchen interior, decorate the living room and diversify the decor of a children's room.
- An icon. Sets for laying out icons with diamonds involve filling the space around the face of a particular saint. The face, hands and other parts of the body usually remain untouched - printed on canvas. An icon created using the diamond embroidery technique can be an excellent gift for parents or godchildren, or take pride of place in the home iconostasis.
- Decor for clothes or shoes. The rhinestones remaining after working on paintings can be used to decorate clothes. They can be used to “embroider” both adult and children’s clothing. Rhinestones can be laid out in a pattern or in a chaotic manner.
- Decoration of cards, Christmas tree decorations, etc. Small rhinestones are an excellent material for decoration. With their help, you can transform old Christmas tree decorations, update photo frames, decorate flower vases and pots, and other interior items.
Pictures made from rhinestones made from photographs look especially interesting. Using a special program, any image can be converted into a color or black and white pattern that can be used both for cross stitch and for laying out diamonds.
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