Jun 1, 2011

{Late} Tutorial Tuesday

Hello, dear readers!

{I do apologize for this late tutorial}.

To-day we will be learning how to bead a daisy chain, that will look something like this:

Start by preparing your thread.  If you will need a clasp, then make a knot at one end, and coat it with super glue to hold it.  Try not to get any on your fingers.  If you do, then sandpaper takes dried super glue off pretty well!  Once the glue has dried, snip off the tail and close a calotte over it.  For the other end, you can either coat part of the thread with super glue or use a beading needle.  The eye on a beading needle is tiny, and threading them can be a real pain.  I usually just use super glue to stiffen the thread. 


To make a daisy, you need nine beads, eight for the “petals”, and one for the center.  I like to use a gold bead for the center,  but it’s fun to experiment with other colors.  In this example, I used blue beads for the petals, and a gold one for the center.  


Start by stringing on the eight beads for the petals. 


Loop the thread back through the first bead again and pull tight to form a loop. 




Thread on the center bead. 



Take the thread back through the fourth petal bead.  


Pull tight again to form the flower. 


And there is your daisy!!!!  

I have used several different patterns for the beads in between daisies, the only limit is your own creativity. 

Daisy chain beading makes smaller, less dramatic necklaces.  I have made a few rings, but I make more necklaces.  These are pictures of the two necklaces still in my possession: 




You’ll notice that there are only six beads for the petals in this second one.  The beads I used for the petals were a little larger than those I normally use.  So long as the beads you use fit around the center well, you can use any even number of beads to form the petals. 

Special thanks to Miss Katie for generously putting together this tutorial, specially for my garden party.

If you try out this tutorial, send a picture of the results to me, for I would love to see them!

Blessings,
Grace

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