Beaded Trims & Borders
Beaded and embellished trims for necklines, cuffs, waists and hems: a botanical border with seed beads and sequins, 3D flowers with glass beads and diamantés, an ostrich feather trim, a bugle bead fringe and beaded lace trims.
- Borders, fringe, feather and beaded lace
- 4.5 cm to 35 cm wide
- Ivory, white, black, silver and burnt orange
Guide
Beaded Trims & Borders: Choosing and Sewing Them
Our beaded borders, feather trim, bugle bead fringe and beaded lace trims, what to use each for, and tips for sewing them on by hand.
Which beaded trim?
| Botanical Border (PR110) | 4.5 cm. Fine tulle with silver embroidered leaves, seed beads and silver sequins, one scalloped edge and one straight. Great for: necklines, cuffs and straps. |
| 3D flower Border Trim (T28209) | About 6 cm, in ivory and black. Embroidered 3D flowers with glass beads and small silver diamantés. Great for: waistlines, necklines and hems. |
| Feather Beaded Trim (W14342) | Soft ostrich feather on tulle with a delicate beaded edge. Great for: cuffs, hems and capes. |
| Bugle Beaded Fringe (K23897) | Burnt orange. 25 mm hand-dyed bugle beads among seed beads on fine tulle, with a definite fall. Great for: necklines, straps, cuffs and bodices. |
| Beaded lace trims | 1629bt, 1294bt and 1131bt: lace with beads, sequins and pearls. See all our beaded lace trims. |
| Vintage Couture Hand-Embroidered Trim | About 9 cm, gold and wine goldwork with sequins, sold as-is in pieces. Great for: a lehenga hem, a waistband or cuffs. |
What to make with it
- Necklines, straps and shoulder details
- Cuffs and sleeve ends
- Waistbands and belts
- Hems on evening wear and capes
How they're sold
The feather trim is made in panels about 1.7 metres long, so if you order more than one panel's length, it may come in more than one piece. The vintage couture trim is sold as-is, in the pieces listed, and can't be cut shorter.
What to pair them with
- The burnt orange bugle fringe sits well against Stretch Silk Satin or Polyester Dupion in Burnt Orange.
- The vintage couture trim makes a statement waistband on silk dupion in wine.
- Ivory borders and feather trim suit bridal duchess satin, dupion and organza.
Cutting
- Cut between the motifs or beads where you can, never through a 3D flower.
- Where you have to cut through beading, snip the threads and move the beads aside first, and use old scissors.
- Keep any beads that come loose, so you can sew them back on.
Sewing them on
- Sew beaded trims on by hand, with small stitches through the tulle or base, using silk thread or a good-quality polyester thread in a matching colour.
- Stitch between the beads and flowers, not through them, and don't pull too tight, so the trim sits flat.
- On the feather trim, stitch through the tulle edge and brush the feathers out of the way as you go.
- The bugle fringe gathers easily along its tulle base: gathered up, it builds into a dimensional, petal-like shape.
Colour and matching
We call many shades "ivory", and they can be quite different from one trim or fabric to the next, so we always recommend ordering samples of the trim and the fabric it's going on, and comparing them side by side.
The vintage couture trim is one of a kind, so we can't offer samples of it.
Pressing
Press the garment before you add the trim. If you need to press near it afterwards, work from the wrong side on a thick, clean towel, on a low setting, through a pressing cloth, and keep the iron off beads and sequins, which can melt or dull. Test on a scrap first.
Never press feathers or 3D flowers.
Questions
How do I sew beaded trim on?
By hand, with small stitches through the tulle or base between the beads, using a matching thread.
Can beaded trim be sewn on by machine?
We recommend sewing it by hand: a machine needle can break on beads and crush 3D flowers.
What if beads come loose?
Keep them and sew them back on by hand once the garment is finished.
Is the feather trim real feather?
Yes: soft ostrich feather on tulle, with a delicate beaded edge.
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