Vigo County Historical Society

Beaded purses dotted wardrobes

From the late 18-century to the 1930s, beaded purses and reticules were valuable fashion accessories in a lady’s wardrobe.

Reticules usually were made of silk and were small pouches with a drawstring. Purses usually were larger and were attached to a frame.

There are several ways a beaded purse can be made. The easiest and possibly the fastest method of making a beaded purse is to sew each bead on a finished purse. The other methods of making a beaded purse are knitting and crocheting.

Patterns aren’t too hard to find. Any pattern that is used for counted cross stitch or needlepoint can be used. Any design that can be put on small graph paper can be used. Just remember to use one square as one bead.

To knit or crochet a beaded purse, you must string all the beads on your thread that can be handled comfortably (usually 20 or 30 rows) before starting to do the actual needlework. This isn’t too difficult if you want a solid color, but if you want a pattern or decoration on the purse, the beading gets tricky.

The beads are strung in reverse order that you will be working. This must be done meticulously--a design can be destroyed if you are one bead off. There are ways of correcting this, but the knots created leave a less-than professional finished product.

When you get to the actual knitting or crocheting, the beads are worked so that they are locked on one side and cannot slip to the back of the finished purse fabric. If you want a cuff, as in the white reticule of today’s historical treasure, the beads are locked on the back side of the work so they show when the collar is turned down.

The white reticule is made of crystal-like beads that are hand-strung and attached for a fringe around the cuff and in a tassel at the bottom. The drawstring is a mesh chain held in place with small metal rings. This reticule is unlined.

The black purse was donated by Jane Moorhead and has a solid hand-sewn bead floral design on the fine black leather. The frame is concealed between the front fabric and the delicate lining.

These accessories can be seen in the Seamstress Shop on the second floor of the museum.