French Flowers From Victorian Instructions – Beaded Flower Patterns Can Be Adapted
French and other beaded flower making techniques use different terms, and this can be confusing. In the Russian, English or Victorian technique, the wire goes side-to-side and not in concentric spirals as it does in the French basic technique. Here’s how to convert some of these terms for French-style flowers.
Beaded Flowers – How’d They Do That? I’ll Take Them Apart and SeeOne of the “founding mothers” of French bead flowers in America, Virginia Nathanson, saw some potted bead flower arrangements in the gift shop of Bonwit Teller in Manhattan several decades ago. She wondered how they were made.
Split Basic Techniques in Bead Flower MakingUse split basic techniques to make two or three petals or leaves on one wire, or to make petals with a split at the outer end, such as Dogwood. Use this technique with the Basic Row technique.
Beaded Flowers – The Easy Way to Load BeadsIn making bead flowers, you’re going to be using hundreds or thousands of beads per flower. Loading techniques you might use for jewelry or loom projects will be very slow and may leave your eyes and back stressed. You need a method of loading many beads onto the needle or wire quickly and with minimum physical strain. There are two very efficient ways to do this.
Making Beaded Flowers – Pitfalls to AvoidYou want your beautiful bead flowers to last for generations, and stay as beautiful as the day you made them. Arm yourself with the right information first. There are a few things to be careful about both before you start making your flowers and after you’re finished.