Bring early‑spring color indoors with beaded Scilla blossoms. You’ll sew five‑petal flowers in 10/0 PermaLux, add a tidy beaded stalk, make right‑angle‑weave leaves in green 10/0 + 8/0, then mount everything on wire and set it in a tiny flowerpot. Bead sizes are kept in metric/aught; all lengths include metric + inches for easy reading.
Materials & Tools
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PRECIOSA Rocailles — PermaLux
- 10/0 Lilac rocaille for the petals: ≈73 pcs per flower (4‑flower stem ≈298; set of 3 stems ≈894)
- 10/0 Green rocaille stalk/leaf: ≈5 pcs per flower (4‑flower stem ≈20; 3 stems ≈60); leaves ≈82–98 pcs each; plus extra for topping the pot
- 8/0 Green rocaille stems/leaves: ≈3 pcs per flower (4‑flower stem ≈45–57; 3 stems ≈150); leaves ≈30–36 pcs; plus extra for topping the pot
- Nylon line 0.25 mm — leaves: cut 1.0 m (39.4 in) per leaf; flowers: work with a comfortable length (~60–80 cm / 24–31 in)
- Wire — 22ga (leaves) & 20ga(stems), cut to 30 cm (11.8 in) sections
- Small flowerpot ~7 cm (2.75 in) top outer diameter; extruded polystyrene block ~4 cm (1.6 in) tall for the insert
- Tools — thin beading needle; scissors; snipping pliers; flat‑nose pliers; ruler; craft knife; marker
Difficulty: ●●○ Techniques: simple sewing, right‑angle weave (RAW), stringing, wiring
Make the Flower (1 piece)
- Petal 1 base. String 8× 10/0 lilac. Pass back through the 2nd bead from the top to create a point. Add 5× 10/0 and pass back through the first of those to form an arch.
- Petals 2–5. String 8× 10/0, pass through the 2nd bead again; add 4× 10/0, then pass through the 2nd bead in the arch of the previous petal and through the first of the 8 just added. Repeat to complete 5 petals.
- Center ring & join. String 1× 10/0, pass through the 2nd bead of petal 1’s arch; add 6× 10/0, pass back through the same bead from above; add 4× 10/0, pass through the 2nd bead in petal 5’s arch; pass through the first bead added in this step and tie off. Thread both ends through the 6‑bead center ring and trim.
- Shape the cones. Thread through the side 2 beads of each petal so each becomes a little cone. Pass from the bottom through the middle bead of each petal; the previously added top bead will sit between petals.
- Beaded stalk. String 2× 10/0 green, 1× 8/0 green, the center ring, 1× 8/0 green, and 1× 10/0 lilac. Omit the last lilac and retrace the path. Then string 3× 10/0 green + 1× 8/0 green; omit the 8/0 and pass back through the 10/0s. Tie, pull in tails, and trim.
Make a Leaf (Right angle weave on line + wire)
- Base groups. On 1.0 m (39.4 in) of 0.25 mm line, string 4× 10/0 green + 3× 8/0 green; pass back through the 10/0 from below. Repeat this 10 times to form the strip.
- Curve & edge. String 7× 10/0 green, pass again through the 2nd bead from the top; add 5× 10/0. Then work down the edge: add 4× 10/0, pass up through the 3× 8/0 from a base group, and back down through the 4× 10/0. Continue to the bottom edge.
- Secure. Weave both ends into the 10/0s with two small half‑hitches hidden in the path; trim.
- Wire the leaf. Bend a hook in 0.6 mm wire (arch height 2–3 mm). Thread the wire in from the top of the leaf through the beads; after 3 cm (≈1.2 in) extends below the leaf, twist back and join both wire ends. Grip under the lower 8/0 and wrap twice; trim tail.
Make the Stems & Arrange
- Flower count per stem. Make 4 flowers for each stem (Steps 1–4). Add a beaded stalk to three of them (Step 5).
- Stem wire. Cut 0.8 mm wire to 30 cm (11.8 in) and bend a small top arch (2–3 mm).
- String stems. On the wire: 1× 10/0 lilac, 1× 8/0 green, the flower’s center ring, 1× 8/0 green, then 5× 10/0 green. Repeat between flowers to your preferred spacing (see three sample spacings in the PDF), finishing with a longer run of greens at the base.
- Pot & display. Knife‑shape a foam cone to fit your pot’s interior (top ≈7 cm / 2.75 in, height ≈4 cm / 1.6 in). Press into the pot. Poke in stems and wired leaves, then sprinkle extra 8/0 + 10/0 greens over the foam to disguise it (glue optional if you don’t plan to reuse).
Variations & Tips
- Colorways: Scilla comes in lilac, blue, and pink—swap PermaLux shades for a little garden.
- Sturdier leaves: add one more straight RAW (right angle weave) group before wiring for a slightly wider leaf.
- Gift idea: tie a ribbon around the pot and tuck in a tag for a spring‑ready desk plant.
Design credit: Preciosa Ornela / Helena Chmelíková. Instructions adapted and paraphrased for clarity for the Shipwreck Beads blog.
