Autumn
garden
WIREWORK
FCT-SC-112116_02
materials
bracelet 6½ in. (16.5 cm)
•150 seed beads
10 g color A (flower, main color)
3 g color B (flower, accent color)
3 g color C (leaves, inner-round,
light color)
4 g color D (leaves, inner round, medium color)
10 g color E (leaves, outer round, dark color)
• 3-strand box clasp
• 21 crimp beads
•131⁄2–14 ft. (4.1–4.3 m) 26- or 28-gauge craft wire, color A or B
• 17–20 ft. (5.2–6.1 m) 26- or 28-gauge craft wire, color E
• 5 ft. (1.5 m) flexible beading wire, .014–.018
• chainnose or crimping pliers
• wire cutters
• toothpick (optional)
Use one simple technique to
make a lush floral garland
for your neck or wrist
designed by Alla Maslennikova
A profusion of French beaded
leaves and flowers makes a prettyas-a-picture accessory. If you want
to make a choker, as shown here,
refer to the Designer’s Note on p. 40
for suggested adaptations to the
bracelet instructions.
©2010 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be
reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.
facetjewelry.com
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
In this simplified version of the French beaded flower
technique, loops of seed beads on wire make an adorable
array of sweet blossoms and leaves. Arrange them on a base
of flexible beading wire for a comfortable, stunning accessory.
stepbystep
Bracelet base
[1] Measure your wrist, add 3⁄8 in. (1 cm),
and mark this length on a piece of paper.
Place the clasp at one end, within the
marked distance (photo a). Remove half
of the clasp, and place it at the other
end, aligning it with the other clasp half.
The area between the clasp halves will
make up the body of the bracelet.
[2] Cut 5 ft. (1.5 m) of beading wire.
On one end, string a crimp bead and
one clasp loop. Go back through the
crimp bead, but don’t crimp it.
[3] On the long end, string four crimp
beads, then go through the corresponding loop on the other half of the clasp.
Go back through the last crimp bead
added (photo b). Check that the wire
between the clasp halves is the correct
length, and use chainnose or crimping
pliers to crimp the crimp bead (Basics,
p. 98) your wire just went through.
[4] Pick up a crimp bead, and go
through the next crimp bead on the previous strand. Repeat twice. Adjust the
tension of the wire so that the working
strand forms small swags and the overall piece is slightly curved (photo c),
then crimp the three crimp beads on
the previous strand that the working
strand just went through. The crimp
beads on the working strand will remain
uncrimped until step 5. Pick up a crimp
bead, go through the next loop on the
first clasp half, go back through the
crimp bead (photo d), and crimp it.
[5] Repeat step 4 twice to make two
more strands (photo e).
i
[6] To add the final strand, go through
the crimp beads on the previous strand
without adding crimp beads. After going
through the last crimp bead on the
previous strand, pick up a crimp bead,
go through the final clasp loop, and
go back through the crimp bead. Adjust
the tension so the piece straightens out
(photo f), and crimp the crimp bead just
added. Do not trim the excess wire,
and note that the very first crimp bead
added in step 2 is still uncrimped.
[7] To stabilize the base, string a crimp
bead, then weave the wire over and
under the strands in the base, making
sure you’ve gone past some of the
crimped crimp beads (photo g). Loop
it around, weave it through the base,
and go through the crimp bead added in
this step again to form a loop (photo h).
Do not crimp it yet.
[8] Repeat step 7 twice to make two
more loops, then go through the
uncrimped crimp bead from step 2
(photo i). Adjust all the loops, and crimp
the four uncrimped crimp beads. Trim
the excess wire, and set the base aside.
j1
j2
k1
j3
k2
l
m
n
o
p
q
DESIGNER’S NOTE:
You can use this same
technique to make a choker.
Begin with 5 yd. (4.6 m) of
beading wire to make the base,
then make about 33 branches,
three large flowers, 10 medium
flowers, and 20 small flowers.
Branches
[1] Cut 20–24 in. (51–61 cm) of color
E craft wire. Make a seven-leaf branch
as follows:
Leaf 1: Leaving a 2-in. (5 cm) tail, string
seven color C 150 seed beads, make a
loop, and twist the working wire
around the tail (photo j1). If needed,
insert a toothpick into the loop to give
the loop a nice round shape. Pick up
enough color D 150 seed beads to make
a loop around the previous loop, and
twist the working wire around the tail
(photo j2). Repeat with color E 150 seed
beads to make a third loop (photo j3).
Leaf 2: Begin another three-loop leaf,
securing the first loop of Cs about
1⁄4–3⁄8 in. (6 mm–1 cm) away from the
previous leaf (photo k1). Complete as
for leaf 1 (photo k2).
Leaf 3: Continuing with the working
wire, make a two-loop leaf: Make the
first loop with two Cs, five Ds, and
two Cs. Make the second loop with
Es (photo l).
Leaf 4: Repeat leaf 3 (photo m).
Leaf 5: Make another two-loop leaf,
but make the first loop with two Cs,
three Ds, and two Cs (photo n).
Leaf 6: Make a one-loop leaf with one
C, one D, five Es, one D, and one C
(photo o).
Leaf 7: Repeat leaf 6 (photo p). If needed,
reposition the leaves so they zigzag from
side to side up the stem.
[2] Coil the working wire around
the stems between the top four leaves
(photo q), and set the branch aside.
Do not trim the wires.
[3] Repeat steps 1 and 2 to make a
total of 10–13 branches, varying the size
and quantity of leaves as desired and
making three branches with Es only.
r1
r2
s
t
u
v
Flowers
[1] Cut 25–28 in. (64–71 cm) of color
A or B craft wire, and make a large
flower as follows:
Layer 1: Using color B 150 seed beads,
make a loop of seven beads, leaving a
2-in. (5 cm) tail. Repeat to make a total
of six loops in a row (photo r1). Twist
the working wire around the tail, then
form a five-petal flower, placing one
loop in the center (photo r2).
Layer 2: Using color A 150 seed beads,
make a two-loop petal right next to
layer 1 the same way you made the
two-loop leaves (photo s). Repeat until
you have made five two-loop petals
(photo t). Twist the working wire
around the tail, forming the second
layer of petals around layer 1.
Layer 3: Using As, make five threeloop petals (photo u). Twist the working
wire around the tail, forming the third
layer around the previous layer. Set this
large flower aside. Make another large
flower if desired.
[2] To make a medium flower, cut
14 in. (36 cm) of wire, and work as
in layers 1 and 2. Repeat to make a
total of four or five medium flowers.
[3] To make a small flower, work as in
step 2, but make only three loops of Bs
in layer 1 and make one-loop petals
instead of two-loop petals in layer 2.
Repeat to make a total of five or six
small flowers, but make some with
seven-bead loops and some with ninebead loops (photo v).
Even if you don’t have
a green thumb, you
can make a bracelet
of beautiful blooms.
Assembly
[1] Figure out where you want to
position the branches on the base.
Intersperse the one-color branches
evenly among the three-color branches
(photo w).
[2] Select a branch to attach to the
base. Coil the working wire around
the stem and a strand in the base near
a leaf connection point (photo x). Make
two to three coils. Continue coiling the
wire around the stem until you reach
the 2-in. (5 cm) tail. Coil the tail around
a strand in the base two or three times,
and bring both the working wire and
the tail out to the front of the bracelet.
Do not trim.
[3] Repeat step 2 to attach the remaining branches along the base, hiding
the crimp beads as well as possible and
overlapping the branches somewhat.
[4] When all of the branches have been
attached, there will be a pair of wires
sticking out from the end of each
branch. These wires will be used to
attach the flowers, and ideally there
will be a pair for each flower you’ve
made. Decide where you want to
place each flower (photo y).
[5] Choose a flower, and twist its 2-in.
(5 cm) tail together with the pair of
wires from the corresponding branch.
Start near the base of the flower and
branch (photo z).
[6] Wrap the twisted wires three or
four times around the neck of the
flower where it is attached to the branch
(photo aa). Trim the excess wire, and
straighten the flower.
[7] Repeat steps 5 and 6 to attach the
remaining flowers. If you have flowers
left over and no branch to attach them
to, simply coil the tails around a branch
wire a few times, then secure and finish
it as in step 6. w
w
x
y
Alla
Maslennikova
of Moscow,
Russia, works
for the largest
Russian bead show,
Beading Design. Visit her website,
beadlady.ru..
z
aa