I usually work a 3-bead peyote band on this flower and teach it as the Flower Power Ring shown here. These also make very nice earrings when glued to an earring back. The bead used is a 6x8mm Czech petal bead, sometimes called a cupped leaf bead. There are two Czech beads with the same dimensions, but they are different when worked into a flower. The one I'm using today has a wide base and an oval shape, while the one I'll use tomorrow has more of a teardrop shape. So today it's the Flower Power and tomorrow it will be the Water Lily.
The petal beads shown here have a vitrail coating on one side. When you purchase a string of these, half of the cupped side will be the vitrail coating and half of the beads will be the plain glass. I separate them out and use the vitrail on the bottom layer and the plain glass on the top layer. I use the new 10/0 Delicas for the seed bead rounds since 11/0s are too small to allow the petals to sit nicely. This flower has a top-drilled pearl in the center which I like for the contrast. A top-drilled 6mm crystal, a 6mm round crystal, a 3.9mm montee, or a Swarovski sequin would also work well. The 3mm bicones in the final round simply add a twinkle to the finished flower.
Begin in the usual manner with about 48 inches of thread doubled to 24 and ten 10/0 Delicas, going through every other one and pulling into a circle (
In The Beginning). Add a petal bead between the beads in the outer ring.
When you have finished the round, bring your needle through one of the beads in the initial inner ring where indicated by the arrow. I hold on to the starting thread as well as the ring of Delicas until I've put on my first round of petals and usually until I've put on the center pearl. Then I tie off the starting threads and clip the ends about 1/8" away from the beads.
Place the top-drilled pearl on your thread and take the needle across the circle and through a bead also on the inner ring. Come through the pearl again and bring the needle across the ring and through a bead to anchor the center. Now work your needle up to one of the Delicas in the outer ring.
Work one round of peyote with the Delicas placed on
top of the first round of petal beads as shown by the arrow. Step up at the end by going through the first bead in the round.
Work the next round of peyote with the last five petal beads, stepping up at the end by going through the first petal added.
Finish the flower by adding one round of 3mm crystals between the petals and coming through the last petal bead to step up. Work the thread to the bottom of the flower. You can finish it off now if desired, but I leave the thread on until I'm ready to sew the flower to a bracelet or necklace.
I usually work a 3-bead peyote band on this flower and teach it as the Flower Power Ring shown here. These also make very nice earrings when glued to an earring back. The bead used is a 6x8mm Czech petal bead, sometimes called a cupped leaf bead. There are two Czech beads with the same dimensions, but they are different when worked into a flower. The one I'm using today has a wide base and an oval shape, while the one I'll use tomorrow has more of a teardrop shape. So today it's the Flower Power and tomorrow it will be the Water Lily.
The petal beads shown here have a vitrail coating on one side. When you purchase a string of these, half of the cupped side will be the vitrail coating and half of the beads will be the plain glass. I separate them out and use the vitrail on the bottom layer and the plain glass on the top layer. I use the new 10/0 Delicas for the seed bead rounds since 11/0s are too small to allow the petals to sit nicely. This flower has a top-drilled pearl in the center which I like for the contrast. A top-drilled 6mm crystal, a 6mm round crystal, a 3.9mm montee, or a Swarovski sequin would also work well. The 3mm bicones in the final round simply add a twinkle to the finished flower.
Begin in the usual manner with about 48 inches of thread doubled to 24 and ten 10/0 Delicas, going through every other one and pulling into a circle (In The Beginning). Add a petal bead between the beads in the outer ring.
When you have finished the round, bring your needle through one of the beads in the initial inner ring where indicated by the arrow. I hold on to the starting thread as well as the ring of Delicas until I've put on my first round of petals and usually until I've put on the center pearl. Then I tie off the starting threads and clip the ends about 1/8" away from the beads.
Place the top-drilled pearl on your thread and take the needle across the circle and through a bead also on the inner ring. Come through the pearl again and bring the needle across the ring and through a bead to anchor the center. Now work your needle up to one of the Delicas in the outer ring. 
Work one round of peyote with the Delicas placed on top of the first round of petal beads as shown by the arrow. Step up at the end by going through the first bead in the round.
Work the next round of peyote with the last five petal beads, stepping up at the end by going through the first petal added.
Finish the flower by adding one round of 3mm crystals between the petals and coming through the last petal bead to step up. Work the thread to the bottom of the flower. You can finish it off now if desired, but I leave the thread on until I'm ready to sew the flower to a bracelet or necklace.
Janie: I thought it was so gracious of you to post these neat tutorials for beaded flowers. I just had to blog about it. I did use your photos in a collage. I hope you don't mind. If you do I will remove them. Probably should have asked first....:)
ReplyDeleteThank you BOTH for this wonderful instrutional technique for beading flowers with thread. Can't wait to try some of it out myself! I work with beading co-ops at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, and they do marvelous things and I'm dying to try it myself.
ReplyDeleteYours, Catherine Todd, catherinetodd2@gmail.com