Carnation

For making a beaded carnation we need:

- size 8 seed beads of red and green colors,

- wire 0.3 mm thick,

- green thread for winding the stem of the flower.

To make a carnation I used the beading technique that I had used earlier for making French Marigolds, with small differences.

The bud of carnation consists of 4 rows of petals. All the petals are very similar to the petals of French Marigolds. For carnation petals I used only red seed beads.

The 1st row consists of 3 small petals, of one beaded loop of 5 seed beads each. Make all the petals of the 1st row using a single piece of wire of 65 cm in length.

Having made the petals, twist together both ends of the wire.

The 2nd row consists of 6 petals, of two beaded loops each. Make all the petals using a single piece of wire of 100 cm in length. Start making the first petal at about 30 cm from one of the wire’s ends and use for beading the longer end of the wire only.
Make the first loop of the each petal out of 5 beads and for the second loop of the each petal use as many beads as it is needed for making a nice loop that lies close to the previous loop and is completely filled with beads.

Connect two finished rows of petals together. Take the 1st row of petals and insert it into the middle of the 2nd row of petals.

Twist together all the wires under the petals. Dispose the petals of the 2nd row at an equal distance from the each other.

Leave the flower bud for a while and make the 3rd row of petals. This row consists of 6 petals, of three beaded loops each. Make all the petals using a single piece of wire of 125 cm in length. Start making the first petal at about 30 cm from one of the wire’s ends and use for beading the longer end of the wire only. For beading use the same technique as for the 2nd row of petals, except the quantity of loops in the each petal.

Attach this row of petals to the bud. Take the bud and insert it into the middle of the 3rd row of petals.

Twist together all the wires under the bud. Dispose the petals of the 3rd row at an equal distance from the each other.

Next, make the petals for the 4th row. All these petals are identical too but are made on separate segments of wire. So for the each petal take a wire of 75 cm in length. For beading use the same technique as for the similar petals of French Marigold but now make 4 beaded loops in the each petal. Start making the first loop at about 30 cm from one of the wire’s ends and use for beading the longer end of the wire only. After making a petal, twist together both ends of the wire under the petal.

Make 8 petals for the 4th row of petals in the bud.

After that collect all the petals of the 4th row together. Take an additional piece of wire of 65 cm in length and pass it successively through the beads that lie in the base of the each petal.

Place the petals on the middle of this wire, gather them into a tight circle and twist together both ends of the additional wire. Do not twist together all the wires under the petals at the moment!

Then take the bud and insert it into the middle of the 4th row of petals.

Place the bud on the worktop so that the upper side of petals was directed to the worktop. Straighten the wires of the petals of the 4th row sidewards.

String 11 green seed beads onto the each twisted pair of wires of the petals of the 4th row. String the same quantity of green seed beads onto the additional wire that was used for gathering these petals into a circle.

Gather all the wires together, move the green beads close to the petals and twist together all the wires under the bud.

The bud is finished. Leave it alone for a while and start making leaves of the flower.

A carnation has long and narrow leaves that are fastened to the stem in pairs. I made two pairs of leaves so that the lower leaves were longer than the upper ones. For the each leaf I used green seed beads and the parallel beading technique.

The pattern for leaves is very simple: the 1st row consists of 1 bead and all the other rows consist of 2 beads.

I made 10 rows of beads in the upper leaves, using a wire of 60 cm in length for the each leaf,

and 15 rows of beads in the lower leaves, using a wire of 50 cm in length for the each leaf.

After that proceed with the final assembling of the flower.
Take a green thread and wind it round the stem below the bud for a some distance.

Next, take two upper leaves and attach them to the stem.

Continue winding the stem by a green thread till the place where the lower leaves should be attached.

Then attach this pair of leaves to the stem

and continue winding the stem by a green thread at its full length.
Tie a knot to fix the thread and trim the excess wires in the bottom of the stem if needed.

A beaded carnation flower is finished!

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