Beaded Flowers - Day Three

Today's tutorial is a basic review on loops. I created these diagrams to show you that there exists a difference in loops with an odd or even number of beads; the even-number loops yielding a more rounded petal as shown in the flower pictured above. However, no matter how many loops I made I couldn't tell any real difference. Hence, when you start creating flowers, just put in however many beads give you the size petal you want. I have found that when I stack the loops, I need at least 5 more beads in each subsequent loop to create a visual difference in the size of these petals.




Let's look at "pointy" loops and how they're created. For these loops, string on one half of the petal plus two beads. Skip the last bead you put on, and take the needle through the next bead. Pull tight by holding on to the bead you skipped, and thread on the beads for the other side of the petal.

Now here there is a difference in the final visual depending on the number of beads you put on the other side of this petal. If you put on the original number of beads without the two extras, you will have a point in the center of the petal. But, if you put on the original number plus one or two more beads and finish your loop, you'll have a petal that is straight on one side and rounded on the other. Take a look at the flower shown above. The large petals at the top are point-centered, while the other two sets of large petals have straight and rounded sides.

The current issue of Beadwork Magazine (April/May 2009) has a necklace on the cover by Jamie Hogsett which has wonderful flowers created with pointy loops. She builds her flowers on a different base, so check it out and add it to your repertoire of techniques.

Tomorrow, I'm going to show you how to make a flower out of horizontally drilled leaf beads. But first, I added some center interest to today's samples, by adding a stack of beads between the three inner base beads. These stacks are created by working the first half of the pointy leaf. I also added a tiny fresh-water pearl in the center. In the other flower I put a loop of two 15/0s, a 3mm crystal, and two 15/0s between the inner base beads (3 loops total).