Beaded snowflake

We have already got a few tutorials on beaded snowflakes and today we will make one more snowflake.
We will need:
- bugle beads #3 (I used bugle beads of silver color);
- seed beads #10 (I used seed beads of white color);
- round beads 4 mm and 8 mm in diameter (I used 4 mm round beads of light gray color and 8 mm round beads of light blue color);
- wire 0.2 mm thick.


The process of making the snowflake consists of two main stages. At the first stage we will make the central part of the snowflake, using seed beads and round beads of both sizes.

At the second stage we will add six beams to the central part, using seed beads and bugle beads.
As you can see, the central part of the snowflake also looks like a small snowflake, therefore it can be used separately as a finished item. For example, if you make two such small snowflakes and add ear wires to them, you will get beautiful earrings in a winter theme.

But I wanted to make a large snowflake, so I added beams to that small snowflake.

For the full beadwork you will need a wire 2.5 m long but if you make only the small part of it, take a wire two times shorter. Even if you make the full snowflake, you may take a shorter wire and add an extra wire for the beams after finishing the first stage of beading.

So, start making the central part of the snowflake.

Step 1.
String 6 small round beads on the wire and place them on the middle of the wire.

Take any end of the wire and cross it through the extreme bead at the other end of the wire.

Tighten the wire trying its ends to remain of the equal length. We’ve got a ring of small round beads that will be situated in the very center of the snowflake.

Make further weaving at the first stage using only the one end of the wire (any one of them). The other end of the wire we will use at the second stage, for making the beams.

Step 2.
String 6 seed beads, 1 large round bead and 6 more seed beads.

Pass this end of the wire from the reverse side through the same round bead in the central ring of beads from which it comes out at the moment and further through the next round bead.

Tighten the wire. We’ve got the 1st segment of the snowflake’s central part.

We need to make six such segments, and the four next ones are to be made identical way.

Step 3.
String 6 seed beads, 1 large round bead and 2 more seed beads.

Then, leading the wire in direction from the outside to the snowflake’s center pass it through the 4 seed beads in the previous segment which are adjacent to the central ring.

Tighten the wire. We’ve got the 2nd segment of the snowflake’s central part.

Step 4.
Pass the wire onward through the 2 consecutive round beads in the central ring.

Then repeat the Steps 3 and 4 successively three more times, thus making the next three segments of the snowflake’s central part.

Step 5.
To make the last (the 6th) segment, pass the wire through the closest 4 seed beads in the 1st segment. Note that this time we lead the wire from the snowflake’s center in the outward direction.

Then string 2 seed beads, 1 large round bead and 2 more seed beads and pass the wire through the 4 seed beads in the 5th segment which are adjacent to the central ring. This time lead the wire in direction from the outside to the snowflake’s center.

Tighten the wire. We’ve got all the six segments of the snowflake’s central part.

Now we need to decorate the free tops of the large round beads with seed beads.
To do so, first make the Step 6: pass the working end of the wire through the beadwork so that it comes out from the large round bead.

Step 7.
String 8 seed beads,

and, leading the wire from the side of the beadwork, pass it through the 5th seed bead of just strung seed beads.

Then move all the seed beads close to the beadwork and tighten the wire.

String 4 seed beads and pass the wire from the reverse side through the round bead that is being decorated.

Step 8.
Pass the working end of the wire through the beadwork so that it comes out from the next large round bead.

Then repeat the Steps 7 and 8 successively five more times, thus decorating all the rest large round beads.

The first stage of weaving is finished, we’ve made the central part of the snowflake.
As I have already said, at the second stage we will make six beams. They will give impressiveness and splendor to the snowflake.

You may secure and trim the end of the wire that was used at the first stage. After that use the other end of the wire for making the beams.

The beams should be situated between the segments of the snowflake’s central part (in other words, between the large round beads), thus before making the each beam lead the wire through the 4 consecutive seed beads which are adjacent to the central ring. In fact, the beam is just the extension to those seed beads.

I made the beams out of bugle beads and seed beads in the beading technique that I had already used earlier for making one of the previous snowflakes.

As you can learn the beading technique for making the beams in the said tutorial, I won’t explain it in detail again. I will just give you the pattern in which you can easily see the steps of making the beam:

After making the first beam lead the wire through the beadwork to the place where the second beam starts. In this way make one after another all the six beams of the snowflake.

After that secure and trim the excess wire and then straighten the beams.
The snowflake is finished!

You can find a few other tutorials on beaded snowflakes on our site. If you use beads and bugles of different sizes and colors, you will be able to make a wide range of different kinds of snowflakes.

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