Welcome to day 2 of ARTSPARK's winter tutorial blog hop!
Let's make a lovely little ornament.
I'm using Miyuki twisted bugle beads, number 6, 11, and 15 seed beads, and a felt ball.
I use a #11 straw or applique needle and Nymo or Sylamide beading thread.
Knot your thread - push it straight through then knot on the other end just to be safe. Trim the tail.
Place a #6 bead on the needle, slide it down, then pick up a #11 on the needle without sliding it down.
Stick the needle back down through the #6 hole then straight out through the other side.
Make a knot there to be safe then make this same little stack at each pole and on each of the four directions of your little globe.
After you've made your six stacks, make a knot as close to underneath the bead as possible. If your thread is too short get another one ready.
Load on a #11, a bugle, and another #11 - keep the last bead on the needle. Slide the needle back through the bugle and bottom seed bead and come out on the other side of the #6.
After making six of these bugle stacks send your needle through the felt ball to the next #6 bead stack and repeat the process around each center bead.
Make knots fairly often to secure your thread by taking a little bite of the felt ball as close to underneath a bead as you can. Leave the needle half way through.
Wrap the thread around the front end of the needle, hold the wrap there with your finger, then pull the needle through.
Send your needle through one of your seed/bugle stacks - you can catch the top bead after you've pulled the needle through if you miss it on the first pass.
Pick up a bugle bead then send your needle through the seed bead on the top of the next stack in the circle.
Add a bugle between each of the stacks without going back down to the felt ball. Just hop from one seed bead on the top of a bugle to the next.
When you get to the last seed bead, go through it again, and through the bugle and the next seed bead.
Take your needle back down to the felt ball through the bugle and seed bead, bringing the needle back up under the next #6 bead.
Repeat the process of adding a bugle between each stack until you have a lovely hexagon around each #6 bead stack center thingie. (Yes - "thingie" is a technical term.)
Make sure you have plenty of thread to make a loop, doubled thread is a good option here. Bring your needle up through one of those big #6 bead center thingies, and add lots of little tiny #15 seed beads until you have a string of them long enough to make a hanging loop.
Take your needle back down through the #6 stack and bring it out as close under one of the other hexagon bead formations as you can.
Do the knot thing, in fact knot it twice for good measure. Send the needle anywhere through the felt ball and then trim the tail.
Viola!
Something beautiful to hang on your tree, or in your window, or on your rear-view mirror.
If you don't happen to have those dazzling twisted bugles in your stash - no worries.
I've put together kits for you with everything you need to make your own ornament.
Each kit includes one felt ball, all the beads you need, a spool of nymo beading thread and a needle.
Shipping within the U.S. is free.
And if you liked this tutorial, you will love my DVD.
It's 90 minutes of blissful beading play time and full of inspiration.
Learn to apply beads to fabric and make your own wonderful works of art.
Pop it in your computer and print out a PDF pattern for the floral quilt on the cover.
$24.95 + $5.50 shipping