French beading mistakes

This year marks my 20th year in making French beaded flowers. Like you, I started somewhere. My teacher was Dalene Kelly as I found a free tutorial on her website (no longer up) and made the rose from her first book, “French beaded flowers: New Millenium Collection.”

I took the flower apart. The flowers were knocked down and the rows were all out of shape. It’s definitely a good idea to lace the petals even if the petals are on the smaller side.

I want you all to see that I was once a beginner and made beginner mistakes. The crooked top basic wire is definitely a learning curve. Though, there are things you can control! It’s assembly!

I was caught up in the excitement of all these petals coming together as a flower that I didn’t read the instructions. The book didn’t have many photos and I’m definitely one of those people that need pictures.

Look at the photos below! Even though the beading was not “perfect,” with a little lacing and proper assembly and shaping, the beaded rose looks elegant and the stem slim.

If you are starting out and making a flower that looks like the left, you are doing awesome! Lace and follow the assembly instructions and it will be amazing. You can’t compare your first day with my 20th year but I’m here to help 🙂