Aren’t French beaded flowers so gorgeous? And they never wilt! Check out our step-by-step instructions, then make a bouquet for a gal you love. What a nice gift for Easter or Mother’s Day!
Add a dash of glamour to your dining table with elegant beaded lilies. This simple craft requires almost no bead counting and is the perfect activity for an evening in front of the television. In no time at all you’ll have a rich, colorful centerpiece that looks like it came from a boutique in Paris. Ooh la la!
For each lily, you will need:
orange Rochaille “E” beads, 3 ounces (approximately 1200 beads)
21 black crystal beads, 4mm size
22-gauge copper wire, 6 yards
26-gauge copper wire, 18 inches
1 plant stake, 12 inches long
floral tape
wire snips
needle-nose pliers
tape measure
To make each petal*:
(*You will need to make six petals for each lily.)
Step 1
Twist a tiny loop at one end of a 36-inch piece of 22-gauge wire. Feed 20 inches of orange beads (about 200) onto one end of the wire. Then twist a tiny loop at the other end of the wire to keep the beads from sliding off.
Step 2
To create the center strand of beads for the petal, slide 3½ inches of the beads to the other end of the wire. Position the beads so the end of the wire has the tiny loop, followed by 2 inches of bare wire, and then the beads.
Step 3
Below the 3½-inch center strand of beads, make a circle with the wire measuring 4 inches across. Twist the wire at the top of the circle to secure, then squeeze the sides of the circle together to form a 6-inch, double-wire “stem.”
Step 4
Bend the wire with the rest of the beads so it is parallel to the center strand of beads. Slide a section of loose beads up the wire and press tightly against the center strand. Twist the beading wire once around the top of the center strand to finish off the second strand of beads. Create a third row down the other side and continue alternating sides until you have 5 strands of beads.
Step 5
Cut the tiny loop off the end of the beading wire and remove any excess beads. Wrap the remaining wire around the “stem.”
Step 6
Clip the top wire of the center strand, leaving 1/4 inch. Use the needle-nose pliers to curl the wire under the tip of the petal. (This will be the underside of the petal.)
To Make The Stamens:
Feed 7 black beads onto an 18-inch piece of 26-gauge wire. Bend the wire, skip 3 beads, and feed the wire back through the remaining 4 beads. Pull the wire tight forcing the 3 beads on the end into a small cluster. Repeat two more times on the same wire to create three stamens.
To Assemble The Flower:
Create the complete lily by wrapping the wire “stems” of the six petals and the wire ends of the stamens around the plant stake. Cover the wire by wrapping the stake with floral tape. Finally, bend the petals of the flower under to create the curled look of a lily. Pretty!
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