Button and Bead Garland

This is my new Button and Bead Garland.  Isn't it bright and fun?  What you can't tell by the picture is how lovely and tactile this garland is.  The variety of shapes and sizes in the beads and buttons gives it great texture and visual interest.  The garland uses 10/0 seed beads, a variety of  buttons, a variety of wooden beads, and paper wrapped styrofoam balls.

In addition to the blue and green Winter Wonderland version, I've worked this style up in hot pink, bright purple and cheery Red and White.  I like them all.

The garland is needle threaded on to six strands of embroidery floss so it is nice and strong in a pattern of seed bead, wooden bead, seed bead, button, seed bead, white styrofoam ball.  I like the garland at a little over 9 1/2 feet long, so I start with a piece of thread 11 feet long.  

To make your own garland - secure a starter seed bead with knots and leave a tail of about 8" because you will work this end in when you are all done.  Continue with whatever patterning you like until you have about a foot of floss left.  Secure this end by knotting around the last seed bead, and work the excess floss back through the buttons and beads.  Work in the extra floss from the beginning in the same manner, and you're all done.

The seed beads give the garland weight for a nice draped hang, and it would look fabulous not only on the Christmas tree but at windows, on the mantle, or wherever you want a little festive cheer.