Late harvest

Difficulty: 3
Technique: basic beadweaving, linking

Small balls made from PRECIOSA beads and seed beads

Preciosa Ornela presents a detailed tutorial on how to make sewn balls out of beads and seed beads from the PRECIOSA Traditional Czech Beads™ brand. As soon as you penetrate into the seemingly complex structure of the connections between the individual sections of the balls, you will discover just what a wide range of uses these balls can have in your creative work. They will quickly become one of your favourite and most used techniques. The wide range of glass colors and finishes will enable you to give your imagination free reign and to create your own color combinations. We wish you many creative ideas during your work with all the various types of Czech beads and seed beads.

Procedure

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Step 1

String 4x FPB8 onto the wire and thread the wire through the first and second holes one more time. String another 3x FPB8 and thread the wire through the first bead and the two new ones one more time according to the picture (Illustration no. 1a.).

String another 3x FPB8 and thread the wire through the first bead and the two new ones one more time according to the picture (fig. no. 1b). String 1x FPB8 and thread the wire through the outer bead and add another 1x FPB8 (fig. 1c).

Tighten the entire stringing as needed and thread the wire through the four FPB8 on both sides. This will strengthen the ball. Tighten it and tie off the wire in a strong double knot. Pull the end of the wire into several nearby beads and cut it off (fig. 1d). This will produce a rough ball which you can then round out by sewing on rocailles. The ball consists of 12x FPB8.
Illustration no. 1a.

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Step 2

Each FPB8 has its own circle of R10 and the individual rocaille rings mutually overlap. The individual rocaille rings will be placed on the individual FPB8 and the gaps between them will be covered by loops consisting of R8 and R10.

First (the red line, Illustration 2a) string the following series onto the line: 10x R10, 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8, 11x R10, 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8, 11x R10, 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8, 11x R10, 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8 and 1x R10 (fig. 2b). Repeat the stringing according to the previous procedure, but in the opposite direction. Start with the R10, R8, R10 and R8. The R10 in front of the R8 are common for both directions of the stringing (the 1st and 11th R10). String 9x R10, thread the line through the 11th R10, string 1x R8, 1x R10 and 1x R8, thread the line through the 1st R10, string 9x R10, thread the line through the 1st R10, string 1x R8, 1x R10 and 1x R8, thread the line through the 1st R10, string 9x R10, thread the line through the 11th R10 , string 1x R8, 1x R10 and 1x R8, thread the line through the 1st R10, string 9x R10 and thread the line through the rear R10 from the first complete loop. Tighten the stringing as needed and tie off the line with a strong double knot (fig. 2c).

String the resulting band joined into a circle onto the ball, move the R10 circles above the beads and the R8 circles above the gaps between the individual FP8 (fig. 2d, 2e).

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Step 3

Follow fig. 3a and thread the line through the nearest R8 and R10 one more time and begin creating the bands for the two remaining adjacent parts of the ball. Keep in mind that the strung lines merge together and monitor the direction and route of the stringing as it is depicted in the illustration.
When creating the second band (the blue line), string 2x R10, thread the line through the 4th and 5th R10 from the nearest circle and string 6x R10, 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8 and 6x R10.

Thread the line through the 5th and 4th R10 from the nearest circle on the opposite side of the ball according to the illustration, string 2x R10, thread the line through the R10, R8, R10, R8 and R10 seed beads according to the illustration and repeat the stringing from the opposite side: string 2x R10, thread the line through the 4th and 5th R10 from the nearest circle, string 6x R10, 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8 and 6x R10. Thread the line through the 5th and 4th R10 from the nearest circle on the opposite side of the ball according to the illustration, string 2x R10, thread the line through the R10, R8, R10, R8 and R10 seed beads according to the illustration and repeat the stringing from the opposite side: string 2x R10, thread the line through the 4th and 5th R10 from the nearest circle, string 6x R10, 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8 and 6x R10.

Then return through the stringing. Thread the line through the 5th and 4th R10 from the nearest circle on the opposite side of the ball according to the illustration, string 2x R10 and thread the line through the R10 seed bead according to the illustration (fig. no. 3b).

Add the second band. String 2x R10, thread the line through the 4th and 5th R10 from the nearest circle, string 6x R10 (the 6th ones have already been strung at the R8), 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8 and 6x R10. Thread the line through the 5th and 4th R10 and string 2x R10. Thread the line one more time through the first R10 and then through the R8, R10, R8 and R10. String 2x R10, thread the line through the 4th and 5th R10 from the nearest circle, string 6x R10 (the 6th ones have already been strung at the R8), 1x R8, 1x R10, 1x R8 and 6x R10. Thread the line through the 5th and 4th R10 and string 2x R10. Thread the line through R10 and follow step 4 (fig. no. 3c).

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Step 4

Begin connecting the third band (the green line). (Fig. no. 4a).

Thread the line through the nearest R8 to all the R10 and R8 and the R10. String 2x R10 and thread the line through 2x R10. Then string 1x R10 and thread the line through 2x R10 according to the illustration. String 2x R10 and thread the line through the R10, R8, R10, R8 and R10 for the first or second band (fig. no. 4b). Repeat the procedure and in doing so connect the individual bands. Tighten the entire stringing appropriately and finish it with a strong double knot. Thread the end of the thread through several of the nearest beads and cut it off (fig. no. 4c).

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