Chinese lantern

Simple Chinese lantern made from PRECIOSA beads and seed beads with the Solgel color

PRECIOSA ORNELA is the manufacturer of the widest range of glass seed beads in the world. One of the most popular color décors is Solgel. This involves a color scale of up to thirty shades in three different levels of opacity. We would like to acquaint you with a selection of 10 colors which are applied to crystal seed beads and fire polished beads as you create a rainbow colored Chinese lantern.

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Download project PDF file

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Material and tools:

PRECIOSA Fire-polished Beads(FPB1)

151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01111 (light brown); 24x	151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01112 (dark brown); 78x	151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01181 (yellow); 79x	151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01184 (orange); 78x
151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01191 (pink-red); 78x	151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01195 (purple); 78x	151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01131 (dark blue); 78x	151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01134 (turquoise); 78x
151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01161 (green); 78x	151 19 001; 4 mm; 00030/01163 (grey-green); 78x

PRECIOSA Fire-polished Beads (FPB2)

151 19 001; 10 mm; 00030/01191 (pink-red); 1x

 

PRECIOSA Rocaille (R10)

331 19 001; 10/0; 78111 (brown); 100 – 120x	331 19 001; 10/0; 78181 (yellow); 100 – 120x	331 19 001; 10/0; 78184 (orange); 100 – 120x	331 19 001; 10/0; 78191 (pink-red); 100 – 120x
331 19 001; 10/0; 78134 (turquoise); 100 – 120x	331 19 001; 10/0; 78161 (green); 100 – 120x

wire guides (so-called infinite, it is possible to adapt their length; loops at a distance of 4 mm); steel memory wire (diameter: 5.5 cm); 0.80 mm wire; a chain with medium-sized links; 5 mm and 8 mm rings; a cap; a long eye pin; a large carabiner or hook; a thinner thread (Belfil-S, 50); thin thread (tailor's thread); a tea light; large snipping pliers; needle nose pliers; flat nose pliers (straightening and closing the loops in the steel wire, closing the rings); a thin needle; scissors; a ruler

 

Procedure :

The cylinder

Step 1:

Cut 4x guide wires with 20 links.

Step 2:

Cut 18 circles of steel memory wire with an overlap of about 3 – 4 cm.

Step 3:

Create a loop at the start of the steel wire. Grasp the beginning of the wire between the points of the needle nose pliers. Twist the memory wire around the points of the pliers. The loop should be horizontal with the bottom of the cylinder.

Thread the memory wire through the second link on the guide wire. String 10x FPB1, the second link of the next guide wire, 10x FPB1, the second link of the next guide wire, 10x FPB1, the second link of the last guide wire and 9x FPB1. Cut off the wire about 8 mm from the last FPB1. Create a loop. The loop should be vertical. Hook it into the starting loop before closing it. Continue in the same way for the next 17 rows.

rows 1 and 2 – dark brown

rows 3 and 4 – yellow

rows 5 and 6 -  orange

rows 7 and 8 – pink-red

rows 9 and 10 – purple

rows 11 and 12 – dark blue

rows 13 and 14 – turquoise 

rows 15 and 16 – green

rows 17 and 18 – grey-green

 

The cross

Step 4:

Twist the 0.80 mm wire on the bottom around the guide wire between the 1^st and 2^nd links. String 12x FPB1 in the light brown color. Twist the wire around the opposite guide wire, also between the 1^st and 2^nd links. Snip off any excess wire on both ends after about 1.5 twists.

Step 5:

Twist the centre of the next wire around the centre of the first wire, between the sixth and seventh beads. String 5x FPB1 on both parts of the wire. Twist the ends of the wires around the remaining guide wires, also between the 1^st and the 2^nd links. Snip off the excess.

 

The tassel

Step 6:

String about 15 cm of the thin tailor's thread into the eye of the needle. Tie off the end of the thread. A large loop will be created.

Step 7:

String about 1 m of the thin thread into the thread loop. Fold it in half. String 16 cm of R10 onto it. Create a total of 12 rows (2x brown, 2x yellow, 2x orange, 2x pink-red, 2x turquoise, 2x green).

Step 8:

Place all of the rows together. Fold them in half. Straighten all of the end rocailles so that they are aligned the same. Tie a knot on the threads. Tighten it and place it immediately behind the rocailles.

Step 9:

Open the eye on the eye pin. Hook it between the threads under the knot. Close the eye.

Step 10:

String the cap and 1x FPB1 on the eye pin. Shorten the protruding eye pin above the FPB1 to about 1 cm. Create the loop.

Step 11:

String the FPB2 on the eye pin. Shorten the protruding eye pin to about 1 cm. Connect the eye. Hang on the remainder of the tassel before closing it. 

Assembly

Step 12:

Cut 4x 7 cm and 3.5 cm lengths of the chain.

Step 13:

Hang the 7 cm lengths of chain on the last loops of all four guide wires using the 5 mm rings. Take two and two lengths of chain. Thread one or two 8 mm rings into the last free link according to the link size on the chain. Thread these rings through one or two 8 mm rings. Add the carabiner eye.

Step 14:

Also hang the 3.5 cm lengths of chain in the same way, but start at the bottom by the first links. Only use a single 8 mm ring when connecting them. Add the tassel at the end instead of the carabiner.

 

CAUTION!

Everything above the flame will become hot, once the candle has been lit and inserted. Wait until the candle has completely burnt out. Or use an oven glove when handling the lantern.