Butterfly Meadow

Difficulty: 3
Technique: circular brick stitch and wirework

Necklace with seed beads PRECIOSA PermaLux

Create this garland style necklace and evoke an idyllic summer image of wildflower fields alive with butterflies. Follow the tutorial to make realistic daisies in rich PRECIOSA Permalux colors, add some simple wirework and a handful of glass butterflies and adorn yourself with sunshine.
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Kerrie Slade

Kerrie Slade have used Czech PRECIOSA Traditional Czech seed beads in her creation.

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Material and Tools

PRECIOSA Rocailles

331 19 001; 11/0; 22002 sunflower yellow; 10 g
(R11A)

PRECIOSA Rocailles

331 19 001; 11/0; 22004 coral; 10g
(R11B)

PRECIOSA Pressed Bead

111 19 001; 8 mm; 81240/84110 yellow; 5x
(PBA)

PRECIOSA Pressed Bead

111 19 001; 8 mm; 90030/84110 orange; 4x
(PBB)

PRECIOSA Pressed Bead - Butterfly

111 40 021; 15/12; 00030/96876 orange; 8x

Tools

Beading thread to match your chosen beads; (S-Lon yellow/orange or Fireline 4lb crystal);
size 10 to 12 beading needles; scissors; gold chain, 72 links; jump rings, size 5 mm, gold, 35x;
head pins, 5 cm, gold, 8x; clasp, gold, 1x; flat nose pliers, 2x; wire cutters, 1x; round nose pliers, 1x

Step 1

Size: The finished necklace measures approximately 73 cm but can be made to measure.

Note: In the diagrams, beads with a black outline are the new beads being added, beads with no outline were added in previous steps.

To make your first flower:

Thread your needle with 1 m of thread and pick up 1x PBA. Leaving a 15 cm tail, pass your needle through the PB again so that a thread lays on the outside edge of the bead. Pass your needle through the PB 3 more times and arrange the threads so that 2 lay on either side of the bead on opposite sides. Figure 1.

1

Step 2

Begin working in circular brick stitch by picking up 2x R11A and passing your needle under the pair of threads on one side of the PB and back through the second R11. Figure 2a.
TIP: Ensure your needle passes under both threads on this side of the PB and is not split by the needle.

Continue working in circular brick stitch, adding 1x R11 at a time and passing your needle under both threads on the outside edge of the PB. Add 7x R11 to one side of the PB and 7x to the other side as shown in Figure 2b and 2c.

Complete the row by stitching the first and last R11 in this row together so that they are connected into a circle as shown in Figure 2d.

2 / a

Step 3

The next row uses 2-drop circular brick stitch and is also an increase row. Begin by picking up 4x R11 and passing your needle under the thread bridge created between the first and last R11 added in the previous row, and back through the third and fourth R11 just added. Figure 3a.

Pick up 2 x R11 and pass your needle under the next thread bridge along and back through the 2x R11 just added. Pick up 2 x R11 and pass your needle under the same thread bridge and back through the new R11. Repeat this 1 more time so that you have 3 stacks of 2x R11 anchored to the same thread bridge. Figure 3b.

Continue working in this manner adding 1 stack of 2 beads at a time but anchoring 2 stacks to 1 thread bridge and 3 stacks to the next thread bridge. You will need an even number of stacks in this row so add 2 stacks to the final thread bridge instead of 3. You should have a total of 34 stacks in this row. Figure 3c and 3d. As this row progresses you will see a ruffled effect as shown in Figure 3e, take care not to miss any thread bridges as you work.

Complete the row by stitching the first and last stacks together to join them into a ring as shown in Figure 3f.

3 / a

Step 4

The final row is known as a picot edging. With your needle exiting a stack and pointing away from the PB, pick up 3x R11 and pass your needle down the 2x R11 in the adjacent stack and up the 2x R11 in the next stack. Figure 4a.

Continue in this way, all around your daisy, until you have added a 3-bead picot to the tip of every pair of stacks in the second row. There should be a total of 17 picots. Figure 4b and 4c.

Tie off and trim both the working thread and tail thread.

4 / a

Step 5

Following steps 1- 4, make another 4 flowers using R11A and PBA and 4 flowers using R11B and PBB.

Step 6

To make the necklace:

Using the wire cutters, carefully cut the head off a head pin. Using the round nose pliers, turn a small loop at the end of the head pin and then thread 1x BF onto the head pin. Trim the wire to approximately 1 cm and turn another loop at the other end of the head pin. Figure 6.

Repeat to make a total of 8 butterfly connectors.

6

Step 7

Using the wire cutters, carefully cut the chain into 18 sections of 4 links. Figure 7.

Step 8

Using the 2 pairs of flat nose pliers, open a jump ring and pass it through a picot on one of the R11A flowers and through a link at the end of 2 sections of chain before closing it again. Figure 8.

8

Step 9

Using the close-up photo and the photo of the finished piece for guidance, connect the components together as follows: Open a jump ring and pass it through a link at the other end of one of the pieces of chain attached to the flower and through one of the loops on a butterfly connector before closing it again. Make sure the butterfly is the correct way up.

Step 10

Open another jump ring and pass it through the other loop on the butterfly connector and through the end link of another piece of chain before closing it again.

Step 11

Open another jump ring and pass it through the link at the other end of the piece of chain just added and through a picot on a R11B flower before closing it again.

Step 12

Open another jump ring and pass it though a picot on the opposite side of the flower and through the link at the end of a new piece of chain before closing it again.

Step 13

Repeat until you have added 2x R11A flowers and 2x R11B flowers with a total of 4 butterfly connectors.

Step 14

Working from the flower added in step 8, repeat steps 9 – 12 to add 2x R11A flowers, 2x R11B flowers and 4 butterfly connectors to the other side of the necklace.

Step 15

Add one of the final pieces of chain to a picot of one of the end flowers and attach the other end to half of the clasp using a jump ring. Repeat on the other side of the necklace with the other half of the clasp.

15 / a

Downloads

PRECIOSA PermaLux

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Project Butterfly Meadow

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PRECIOSA Rocailles

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PRECIOSA Pressed Bead

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