designed by Alla Maslennikova A profusion of French beaded leaves and flowers makes a prettyas-a-picture

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1 Autumn garden WIREWORK FCT-SC _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 ft. ( m) 26- or 28-gauge craft wire, color A or B ft. ( m) 26- or 28-gauge craft wire, color E 5 ft. (1.5 m) flexible beading wire, chainnose or crimping pliers wire cutters toothpick (optional) 2010 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. 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. facetjewelry.com

2 a b c d e f g h i 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). [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.

3 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 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 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 branches, varying the size and quantity of leaves as desired and making three branches with Es only.

4 r1 r2 s t u v Flowers [1] Cut 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.

5 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