Book Description

This book is the result of a challenge from one of my readers. The patterns are a combination of engineering and bead artistry but the engineering is done for you so you get the fun of watching your flowers bloom one bead at a time. So for Victoria and all the other flower-loving bead artists around the world, this one's for you! The flowers in this book are three dimensional, complete on all sides including stems, bracts, and some leaves. They can also be made without the stems for a flatter application. Flowers include Purple Passion Flower, Carnation, Blue Aster, Gaillardia (also called Blanket Flowers), Bright Lights variety of Cosmos, Nasturtium, Lilac, Seashell Cosmos in either single color or bi-color, Columbine, and Snap Dragon. All flowers are shown on the back cover or look inside for the Table of Contents. The designs have detailed instructions and are fully illustrated with over 300 color photographs and diagrams. All designs are original and have not been previously published in any other venue. All flowers are approximately life size when made with size 11/0 round seed beads. Size 15/0 round seed beads are also used for shaping, to smooth edges, and for some of the more delicate parts where 11/0 are just too big. A good light and a magnifier help a lot with the smaller details if needed. Or if you just can't work with tiny beads you could replace the 11/0 beads with 8/0 and the 15/0 with 11/0; you will just get bigger flowers. Glass beads can be heavy so wire is used as an armature in the stems and a few flower parts. A word of caution: this book is for the serious beader! If you love those magazine articles about making a necklace this afternoon and wearing it out for dinner, this book is not for you. You cannot start a bridal bouquet on Friday and have it ready for a Sunday wedding. That is not to say you must be an advanced beader. If you have some patience and can follow detailed directions, you can make these flowers. Basic peyote stitch instructions are NOT covered in this book. You need to know even and odd count, increasing and decreasing within rows and at the end of rows. This book was a labor of love; hope you like it.