Wood rose necklace
Beaded flowers are a great way to affirm your love of gardening and beading, and they're exquisite when made with size 15" seed beads. Some people think size 15"s are far too small to work with, though, so I adapted my technique to size 11" beads. Attach your floral creations to a "field of green" necklace and plant a grassy garden of flowers around them.
MAKE THE WOOD ROSE O Thread a needle with 7 ft. (2.1m) of Nymo. String 20 flower-color seed beads, leaving a 1-yd. (.9m) tail. Tie the working thread and tail together in a firm square knot (see "Basics," p. 5) around a dowel. Sew through the first bead strung again. 0 Stitch three rows of even-count, circular peyote (see "Basics") for a total of five rows. (The first two rows are the beads strung in step 1.) Step up on the fifth row as if you were going to add another row.
© Pick up three beads and stitch through the next bead in the fifth row of peyote again (photo a). Repeat to add three-bead "petals" between each bead in the fifth row for a total of ten petals.
© Stitch into the exterior surface of the previous (fourth) peyote row. Add five-bead petals between each bead in this row.
© Remove the beadwork from the dowel. Stitch into a nearby bead in the third row of peyote, exiting with your needle inside the sleeve. String an 8mm bead and sew through a third-row bead opposite the bead exited to anchor the 8mm bead in the sleeve (photo b). Sew back through the 8mm bead and the seed bead on the opposite side again. Repeat to secure the 8mm bead. © Sew through another bead on the third row, exiting on the outside of the sleeve. Stitch seven-bead petals between the beads in this row (photo c). Sew through the beads in the next two peyote rows to secure the thread. Don't cut this tail. It will be used later to secure the flower to the base.
- b
MAKE THE BASE
Use Fireline for the base and necklace strands for extra durability. O Thread a needle with 7 ft. of Nymo or Fireline. String six green seed beads, leaving a 4'/¡-ft. (1.3m) tail. © Turn and stitch a panel of even-count flat peyote (see "Basics") with 30 rows. Don't trim the tail. © Repeat step 1. Stitch a second flat, even-count peyote panel with 20 rows. © Thread a needle on the 4'/2-ft. tail of the large peyote panel. String 8-9 in. (20-23cm) of green seed beads (photo d). Repeat with the small peyote panel. © End the strands with either a large bead and loop closure or bead tips and a clasp as described below:
To make a bead and loop closure, string a 6mm bead, an 8mm bead, and four seed beads on one strand. Skip three seed beads and sew back through a seed bead and the large beads. Tighten so the three seed beads form a picot. To make a loop on the second strand, string a 6mm, an 8mm, and enough seed beads for a loop large enough to go over the 8mm bead. String three extra seed beads. Sew back through the first three seed beads and the larger beads to make the loop. Tie a few half-hitch knots between beads on the strand and sew back into the peyote panel. Repeat the thread path for security.
To use a clasp, string a bead tip and a seed bead, sew back through the bead tip, and tighten (photo e). Close the bead tips over the beads and use roundnose pliers to gently curve the hooks of the bead tips around the loop of the clasp (photo f). © Sew back through the strand and zigzag through the peyote panel to secure the thread. Exit the bead next to where the strand is joined (photo g). © Position both panels in a V-shape so that the longer one is the point and both necklace strands are at the inside top of the panels as in photo h. © Thread a needle on the thread tail of the smaller peyote panel. Stitch between the beads in the end row of the small panel and the beads at the f \
MATERIALS
• 8mm round bead or pearl
• lOg size 11" seed beads, floral color
• assorted 4-6mm flower beads
• Nymo D beading thread or Fireline fishing line, 4- or 6-ltx test
• beeswax or Thread Heaven for Nymo
• clasp and 2 bead tips or 2 6mm and 2 8mm round beads for loop clasp
Tools: roundnose pliers
edge of the large panel to join them (photo h). Zigzag through the peyote panel to secure the thread.
EMBELLISH THE PANEL
O Begin embellishing the panel ends with leaf shapes. Use the thread tails remaining from stringing each necklace strand and stitch a leaf as follows:
a. Pick up seven beads. Skip the last bead strung and go back through the next bead (figure 1, a-b).
b. Pick up five beads and sew through the last bead exited on the base and the first bead strung (figure 1, b-c).
c. Pick up three beads and sew up the fifth bead on the left side and through the fifth bead on the right side (figure 2, a-b).
d. Sew back through the three beads just added and through the first bead on the right side of the leaf and the base bead (figure 2, b-c).
© Add a leaf to each bead on the end rows of each panel. Zigzag through the panel to secure the thread and trim. © Thread a needle to a remaining tail where the panels are joined or start a new thread at the panel's point. Stitch a leaf at the point and on each side of it (photo i).
© Thread a needle onto the 3-ft. tail on the wood rose. Position the flower at the center of the V-shaped panel and stitch it in place (photo j). © Stitch two leaves to each side of the flower.
© Add flower bead and seed bead fringes to the sides of the panel. String a few seed beads, a flower bead, and another seed bead. Skip the last bead and sew back through the beads to the panel. Make some grassy fringes, too, without flower beads. Continue to embellish the panel until you are satisfied. - Diane Benton
ororor figure 1
figure 2
If you want to use a cabochon as a pendant but don't want to attach it to a backing, use this technique for making a backless bezeled cabochon. Make a ring of even-count peyote stitch that begins with a circle a little smaller (about 20percent) than the circumference of the back of the cabochon. As you work out around the ring, adjust the thread tension so the ring remains flat. When the beadwork placed beneath the cabochon extends a little beyond the edges of the stone, work tighter rows until the frame overlaps the top of the stone enough to hold it in place without glue.
O Thread a needle with about 2 yd. (1.8m) of Nymo B. Double the thread and wax it. Pick up 60 size 11" seed beads. Note: Select small beads for this first row. Tie the ends together with a square knot (see "Basics," p. 5), forming a tight circle and leaving a 6-in. (15cm) tail. Tension is critical in this project, and the circle should be the tightest row of all (photo a). © Go through the first bead after the knot and work peyote stitch around the circle (see "Basics"). The tension should now be snug but not tight. Hold the beads between your fingers as you tighten them to help keep the work flat and to prevent overtightening (photo b). © On every successive row, the tension will be a little looser in order to keep the work flat. After every row, shape the piece against the bottom of the cab and check the size. The last row, here the seventh, will extend at least half a bead beyond the edge of the cab (photo c). When using two colors, you may want to work the last row in the second color to give a visual reference. © After completing the last row, weave the thread back into the beadwork to anchor it securely. Make two or three half-hitch knots (see "Basics") between beads as you weave in the thread. © Start a new 2-yd. doubled, waxed thread, weaving it securely into the piece. Come out a bead on the last row. From this point on, you'll pull and tighten the thread after every bead, so now is a good time to take a break and do a few hand and wrist exercises. Once you start shaping,
it's hard to stop until you're finished. @ Hold the cabochon on top of the piece so you can form the beadwork around its sides. Don't put too much tension on the outside until you've added two more rows and the beadwork is coming up the sides (photo d). © As you bead around the edge of the cab, keep the tension as tight as possible. When you near the upper edge, select smaller beads to help bring the beading in over the top (photo e). You'll be able to tell by feel when you have completed enough rows to hold the stone securely. Fewer rows are better, but make sure you have enough rows to hold the cab. Because of shape, thickness, curvature, and polish, each stone requires a different number of rows for security.
0 After completing the last row, go back through it again, following the peyote stitch pattern (photo f). This second thread pass is important to help maintain the tension on the cab, so tighten it carefully as you go to keep it from breaking. Weave the thread into the beadwork away from the edge to secure it. Then trim.
Highlight your cabochon in a necklace, as pictured on the opposite page. I worked my bezeled stone into a rope of Dutch spiral, which I learned from Anna Maria Garcia. - Elisa Cossey
MATERIALS
• 30 x 40mm oval cabochon (stone or glass)
• size 11" Czech seed beads in one or two colors (for bezel only)
• Nymo beading thread, size B, or Silamide
• beeswax for Nymo
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