Design Idea #4-'Woven Flower' Beading Pattern by Lynn Sponagle

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Design Idea #4
'Woven Flower' Beading Pattern by Lynn Sponagle

Greetings!

Here is the fourth of many design ideas coming your way from The Beading Room. We hope to get one a week to you-to give you inspiration and inform you about some of the wonderful products we stock.

This week's design is compliments of Lynn Sponagle, a bead enthusiast and dear customer. Check out her fabulous work by following the links in her introduction. She has meticulously put this together just for you.

We love this little flower and can think of many ways you can use this. For the optimum results always use top quality Japanese-made Miyuki seedbeads. Their uniformity means perfect results everytime. You can view our whole range by clicking here.

Yours in beading,

Brian and Hollie Ferrall

PS- If you would like to share any patterns, like Lynn has, please contact us. We would love to feature your design and any links you may have:)

'A Woven Flower' Beading Pattern using Miyuki Beads from The Beading Room by Lynn Sponagle

by Hollie Ferrall

www.SponagleKarney.etsy.com    www.woolfin.blogspot.com

Difficulty Rating: Intermediate           Pattern adaptation by Lynn Sponagle

This is the flower you will be making. It is about 2 inches in diameter using the beads I've selected from The Beading Room. Because of the difference in sizes of beads, it has a dimensional quality as the petal tips tend to curl up and in. It will make a gorgeous pendant for a necklace, as shown above, or brooch, shawl pin, barrette, or anything else you can think of. Color possibilities are endless, given the selection available at Hollie's shop.

Materials Required:
Click on the items below to bring you to the website. Make sure to put items in your cart:)

- Approximately 10 feet of clear monofilament (Fireline). I have found that 4lb. works best.
- 45 x 3mm Miyuki cube beads. The ones shown are transparent silver lined.
- 80 x 6/0 Miyuki rocailles. The ones shown are dark wine metallic.
- 1 x beading needle.

Rows 1 and 2:
Leaving a six-inch tail, string 3 cubes onto your monofilament, then go back through the first cube in the opposite direction as shown in Figure 1. Pull up snug and allow 2 of the cubes to sit on the first one so they are offset.

Pass the needle back up on the outside of the first bead and through the center of the second bead. See Figure 2. Pull up snug and you will have the beginning of an upside down pyramid. These 3 beads make up the first and second rows as shown in Figure 3.

Row 3:
Pick up one cube on your needle and slide it down to the top. This is the first bead of the third row. Insert the needle into the center of the cube below, as shown in Figure 4. Then come back up on the outside of the same cube and up through the center of the first bead of the third row, as shown in Figure 5.

From here on, all the inside beads of the remaining rows are woven in brick stitch, where you add a bead, then insert the needle under the monofilament between the beads of the previous row, then come back up through the newly added bead, as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

Figure 7and Figure 8 show how I've added the third and last bead of the third row, and passed the needle through the center of the bead below, where I will then take it back up the outside edge of that bead and back through the center of the newly added bead. This completes the third row. Pull it up tight and you have a very neat pyramid of three rows.

This is pretty much the hardest part of the whole flower. The project gets easier from here on, and there are very few new instructions. For the beginning of the next row, we will be using the 6/0 rocailles as well as the 3mm cubes.

Row 4:
The fourth row will begin with a 6/0 rocaille. Attach in the same manner as the first bead of the previous row. Follow with two cubes, woven one at a time in brick stitch. Figure 9 shows the first of the cubes being added. The 4th and last bead of the 4th row is a rocaille, woven in the same manner as the last bead of the previous row. This completes the 4th row.

Row 5:
Figure 10 shows the completed 5th row. The beads are woven in exactly the same manner as the 4th row. Remember to use the brick stitch method with the 3 inner beads. For this row, use 2 rocailles, 1 cube and 2 rocailles. This is the last time you will use a cube bead until you begin the second petal.

Row 6:
In this row, you will use 4 rocailles. It's a decrease row, and from here, your work will go quickly. Before you begin, note how the top edge of your work has taken on a curved appearance. This is what will cause your petal to curl up at the edge and the point, while the center cube beads lie very flat. Slight tension is required to achieve this effect.

To begin this and any decrease row, add 2 rocailles to you needle and insert it under the monofilament between the 2nd and 3rd beads from the outside edge of the previous row, as shown in Figure 11. Pull through and up the center of the 2nd bead you've just added. Continue in brick stitch until you have 4 rocailles on the row.

Row 7:
This row is a decrease row and you will add a total of 3 rocailles, beginning with 2 on the needle as in the previous row.

Row 8:
This is also a decrease row and you will add a total of 2 rocailles, beginning with both on the needle as in the previous row.

Row 9:
This is the final row of your first petal and only has one rocaille. Figure 12 shows the final bead poised on the needle ready to be inserted into the center of the first bead of the previous row.

Finished Petal:
Pass the needle down through the center of all the beads on the outside of the petal. You will have to do this is two steps, first coming out through the outside rocaille of the 5th row, then going back into the 4th row and down through the first bead where the tail is coming out. See Figures 13 and 14. This is your finished petal and now you will start making the 2nd petal in the same way you began the 1st one.

You can see here in Figure 15 that you begin the next petal with 3 cube beads as we did before. The only difference is that you will snug these up against the first bead of the 1st petal. Continue following the pattern until you have added the 1st bead (rocaille) of the 5th row.

Figure 16 shows you how to join the petals. After you have secured the 1st bead of the 5th row, pass your needle down through the outside bead on the 5th row of the previous petal, then back up and through the 1st bead of the 5th row of your second petal. Pull up snug and your 2nd petal is now joined to the first at their widest points.

Figure 17 shows the completed 6th row of the 2nd petal. Continue making the second petal as before until it is completed and you are back at the center of your flower.

Keep weaving the petals until you have finished the last row of the 5th petal. On your way back down to the center, come out through the outside bead of the 5th row and join it to the outside bead of the 5th row of the 1st petal. Continue down to the center of your flower and tie your ends together, securing the center of the flower. Your project is now finished. You may want to embellish the center of your work with small seed beads. I've found keeping it simple and only adding 5 small beads works best.

Please note that this pattern is for a five petal flower. You can also make only four petals and your finished work will resemble a partially open flower. Using only 3 petals will look like a flower bud. This is useful if you are using multiple flowers and you don't want them all to look the same. I hope you have enjoyed this lesson and found it easy to follow.

Lynn Sponagle.

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