Precious stones, with tints of color and brilliance that can hardly be compared, have been used since ancient times to decorate clothes and everyday life. The beauty of natural stones encouraged people to create artificial analogues that can compare with them in terms of brilliance, color brightness and transparency. One of such wonderful inventions was glass.
The highest craftsmanship in the manufacture of glass and glass products was achieved by Venetian artisans. They carefully kept the secrets of their skill, because the works of glass craftsmen were very expensive and valued no less highly. It was in the Republic of Venice on the island of Murano (which is now famous for its glass) that glass beads were made in the form in which we see it now. The multi-colored glass grains were striking in their brilliance, brightness, but at the same time they were much lighter than natural stones and smoother, so it became easier to use them for embroidery and weaving jewelry. The spectrum of application of beads has also expanded. From it began to weave even canvases with amazing patterns and ornaments, from which women’s handbags, shoe upper, and decorative objects of palace interiors were created.
The ancient art of beadwork, due to its unusualness, a variety of forms and species, as well as amazing beauty, is still popular. Along with the traditional techniques that the craftswomen pass from generation to generation, contemporary artists create new forms, expanding the possibilities of using this amazing material. Weaving a flower from beads is a very popular type of needlework, which even children enjoy doing. How to make flowers from beads? There are quite simple techniques that weaving a flower from beads turn into a simple and exciting process.
Bead flower for beginners
One of the simplest methods of beadwork is the so-called monastic weaving of beadwork. It allows you to create dense flower leaves that are connected to each other in a cup, stamens are inserted inside, and the stem of the flower is entwined with a green ribbon or thread. For work, you will need beads in two shades, small beads for stamens (yellow, white or black), a wire as thin as a thread, a dark green ribbon or a thick thread.
1. The petal of the flower. On a sufficiently long length of wire we string 1 bead. We pass one end of the wire into the bead again, so that it is firmly fixed on the wire. Now we string 2 beads on one end of the wire, and the other end, forming a loop, thread through these two beads on the opposite side so that it braids the beads with a loop and secures the row. We also do all subsequent rows by adding one little thing to each new row. When there are nine beads in a row, we begin to gradually reduce their number, making each subsequent row 1 less bead. We finish work when there are 3 beads in a row. This creates a diamond-shaped petal of the future flower. If you combine beads of different shades, say, put darker in the center, and lighter at the edges, then the work will turn out more interesting. It is necessary to weave 5 petals.
2. Now weave narrow petals. They also weave, but the number of beads in the rows will be less. The middle of the rhombus should be a row of 5 beads. To make the petal the same size as the wide one, weave twice rows consisting of 3 and 5 beads. Narrow petals should also be 5 pieces.
3. After all the petals are ready, you can collect the flower. First we connect narrow petals, then wide ones. The flower corollas are inserted into each other.
4. We make stamens from one small bead and one bead. We pass the wire through the bead, and then we put a bead on both ends of it. We twist the ends of the wire. We make 6 stamens and connect them together.
5. Now you can insert the middle into the flower cup. Connect all ends of the wire together, twist and wrap with a ribbon or a thick thread.
This is only one of the techniques demonstrating the weaving of a flower from beads. Having mastered this simple technique, you can try and master others. There are many of them. Feeling the material, its capabilities and features, you can independently invent new methods that allow weaving a flower from beads to turn into real art.