After some consideration, I've decided to break this post into two; I'll post the peas next time.

The first flower is a pretty standard pointed petal design done in the basic technique, unusual only for having shaded and tipped petals Naturally I was trying to use up odds and ends of orangey and brownish beads, and this piece did that perfectly.

9-1/2” including stem. Flower measures 3-1/2" across at its widest point. Three colors of seed beads, silver and gold -color wire, fabric colored wire, mandrel. Completed march? 2008.

The first piece I made in my latest foray into french beaded flower making was with white colorlines, at a friend's house, and which I haven't yet posted. This one, designed to use up those evil color-lined (dyed) and painted beads, was the second, and in addition to practicing the shading and tipping, I also practiced just basic (in both senses of the term) petal-making.

As seen from the underside.

My assembly process is decidedly idiosyncratic, as instead of wrapping the stem with beads, floss or tape, I often allow the wires to show. Here, I mostly covered the wires up, and the effect is, shall we say, less than successful. For similar reasons I was experimenting with wire gauges, which is why one petal is in the heavier goldtone wire. But at least I put sepals on the flower, and my technique is improving.

photographs, and file begun, 16apr08.

Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.