Skip to main content

Tutorial - Twisted Flower Beads


Bead Tutorial: Twisted Flowers
Materials:
1 rod light turquoise
1 rod light ivory
Tweezers

Remember to occasionally flash your bead in the flame so it doesn't crack!
Step 1:
Gather your materials. With your tweezers, pull a few stringers of light ivory. Also, pull a short (1 1/2") stringer of ivory with a larger base, so you can hold onto it to twist.




Step 2:
Make a basic bead of light turquoise. Make sure you are happy with the shape - you won't really be able to adjust it after you add your dots.
Step 3:
Add 3 dots of ivory in thirds around the bead. Make sure they are evenly spaced and about the same size.


Step 4:
Melt the dots in. Be careful not to let them get too molten, or they will misshape.

Step 5:
Heat the space in the middle of one set of three dots. With your little handmade twisting tool, twist the space in the middle of the three dots, turning only about 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn. The more you twist, the more your circles will distort. After you twist the dots, wiggle the tool a little bit. If it's cool enough, it should pop right off. If not, blow on it slightly then wiggle - the tool will come right off and you'll be ready to twist the next set of dots.




Finished bead!

Step 6:
Continue with the other two sets of dots. When you are done, put the bead back in the flame to flame polish and shape it up!
© 2007 SueBeads.com

Comments

Maybeads said…
Thank you for the tutorial! I want to learn flowers, and this one looks like a good place to start for me. Thanks for sharing it!
I wish you lived nearby so that I could take a class!

Popular posts from this blog

Bead Soup Blog Party!

Welcome to the 3rd Bead Soup Blog Party! What is a Bead Soup Blog Party? Each beader was paired up with another jewelry designer and tasked with sending the following: ~ A focal ~ A special clasp (not just a lobster claw) ~ Some coordinating spacers or beads Using the focal and the clasp was mandatory, but we could use anything from our own stash to round out the rest, and choose to use the coordinating beads or not. You may recall my partner was Margot Potter ; click this link to see the blog post I wrote of what she sent me! Here's what I made! Dangly earrings! Come see what the rest of us made! 1. Lori Anderson, Pretty Things 2. Kitty Durmaj, Perles and Life 3. Michelle Heim, Life In the Bead Lane 4. Lisa Petrillo, Lucid Moon Studio 5. Anitra Gordy, Leelu Creations 6. Paige Maxim, Paige Maxim Designs 7. Marianna Boylan, Pretty Shiny Things 8. Cheryl Roe, BeadRoe 9. Heidi Post, Ex Post Facto 10. Cindy Wimmer, Sweet Bead Studio 11. Terri Gauthier, Blooming Ideas 12.

The Tacky Earring Blog Hop

Diana Ptaszynski had a great idea, instead of a Tacky Christmas Sweater blog hop, a Tacky Holiday Earring blog hop! I was on it.  I had ideas right away.  I had so many I had to control myself.  You can buy these for $15 each, too!  Here we go! I found these awesome wreaths in the miniature Christmas section in Michaels, and they go perfectly with silver and copper colored plastic beads! These trees were found in Michaels, on an end-cap - I assume they are scrapbook or card making supplies, but make fantastic earrings.  The holes were a little small and far down, so I had to make LARGE loops.  Paired these with cute little gold colored jingle bells! And, finally, the ones I had in my head the moment she announced the blog hop.  Dr. Seuss sparkly puff balls with ribbons.  The only thing that would have made these better for me is if I could have found the red ribbons I really wanted to pair these with - don't get me wrong, the silver is cool and all, but in my head they w