French-Beaded Flowers New Millenium Collection by Dalene Kelly
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My favorite was the flowered Cactus on page 78 — a six-lobed charmer nestled in a pot of gravel complete with wired sprays of copper spines and a splashy single blossom
This is an intriguing beadcraft born from a European country pastime of collected designs of arrangements and memorial wreaths. It is more sculptural than needlework, intended for display as flower arrangements or jewelry. The construction of 38 individual flowers is detailed as well as 4 projects. Sufficient 10/0 beads are strung on a 26-gauge wire to form a petal and then the beaded wire is looped around, leaving an extension upon which each round is wrapped to anchor at the base of a basic row. 5 beads appear to be the most common start, resulting in an oval rounded or a pointed petal. Lacing maybe added to support the wired rounds of beads, generally worked with a lighter 30-gauge wire.
Depending on the flower or plant, stem-stiffening may be added or petals and leaves (green petal variations) are taped tightly into heavy stems or branches. Usually the floral tape is covered with silk floss (cotton could be substituted) or rounds of wired beads on the larger branches. Needless to say, many of the finished stalks have a fair amount of weight in glass beads alone so the extra tips in the book wisely suggest loading lead shot or stones to the display pot (opaque for obvious reasons) to counterbalance tall and top-heavy stalks, preventing them from diving off tables and shelves. For those of you who think in the terms of vials of beads, you will need to shift your thinking and budget to hanks of beads as these beady sculptures wire up seed beads at a voracious rate. However, once you clap your eyes on the surprising realism of the Oriental Poppy displayed with Money Plant, or the Spider Lily, Fuchsia, Snapdragon, Hydrangea, or Iris, the budget seems miniscule to the longevity of the sparkling floral display.
My favorite was the flowered Cactus on page 78 — a six-lobed charmer nestled in a pot of gravel complete with wired sprays of copper spines and a splashy single blossom. It made me laugh at the incongruous arrangement of delicate petals and bristly wire — even the author offered her less - than-amused opinion of cactus as she dedicated it to her mother for all those years of growing the little “monsters” from seed. You will enjoy the author’s humor and clear illustrations of the basic technique. Every variation is carefully described in color photos, supplies and assembly to successfully navigate a complete project. Even if you only manage a corsage to learn the technique, it has interesting potential beyond flowers for the avid bead addict.
• 96 pages.
• ISBN 0873493575
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