As you stitch, the ocean comes alive. The starfish glows softly like it’s basking on the seabed, coral fans out in fiery reds, and the turtle swims steadily across the fabric.
The jellyfish drifts with dangling beads that move like water currents.
It’s truely an underwater garden, captured in light and color, where every bead feels like a drop of the sea preserved forever.
Materials Needed
- Seed beads in assorted ocean colors (blue, green, red, orange, purple, 10-15 grams each)
- 10-15 pearl beads for accents
- Beading needle and strong thread
- Canvas or cotton fabric (8”×8” or larger)
- Embroidery hoop (8” size)
- Pencil or fabric marker
- Scissors
Step-by-step Guide
Step 1: Sketch your underwater layout directly on the fabric, marking coral, starfish, fish, or other elements you’d like to include.
Step 2: Begin with the larger motifs like the starfish or turtle. Then outline them in beads, then fill in the shapes with carefully layered rows.
Step 3: Move to coral and background areas. You can use bright reds, oranges, and blues, placing beads closely together so they appear solid and full of texture.
Step 4: For the jellyfish, stitch beads in rows at the top, then let strands of beads dangle freely to mimic tentacles moving underwater.
Step 5: Keep building detail across the fabric until your ocean scene feels full. Then tie off threads neatly on the back and adjust beads for flow.
Notes:
Mixing matte and shiny beads adds depth such as matte for background areas and shiny beads for highlights, making your sea creatures stand out more vibrantly.