French beaded flowers technique pattern – Beaded bow

If you love making French beaded flowers, here is a fun French beading project of making a beaded bow! I’ll be showing you how to make a bow using bead and wire in the French beading techniques of making beaded flowers. While we usually use these techniques for making beaded flowers, today, we’re going to use an intermediate technique that I developed called the continuous split basic to make small beaded bows perfect for decorating little gift boxes or hanging on the tree.

Scroll down to the bottom for the video companion.

Level: Intermediate

This is an intermediate French beaded flower technique project.

French beaded flowers techniques:

• Basic Frame 
• Continuous Split  Basic – covered in video

SMALL BOW: – Continuous Split Basic

Pattern: – Bow: Two 20-bead CSB on 6 inch (15.24) top basic wire, RT RB, 3 rows, Tails: Two 20-bead basic, PT RB, 3 rows
Prepare: String 17 inches (43.8 cm) of beads on a spool 24 gauge bead-color wire.

1. Make a 20-bead basic frame with an 6 inch (15.24 cm) top basic wire. Make the basic loop to be approx. 3 inches (7.6 cm). Make about 2 to 4 twists for the twisted wire.
2.  Make the first bow unit with a rounded top and rounded bottom. Lace along the middle with 30 gauge wire. Photo 1.                     
   

   Photo 1

3.  Bend the unit over your finger to form the bow loop. Photo 2.                                                                                                               
   

   Photo 2

4. Take the top basic wire and wrap it around the base twice securely. Photo 3.                                                                                           
   

   Photo 3

5.  Twist the working-wire and the top basic wire together approx ¼ inch (.63 cm) to form a new twisted wire. Photo 4. Note: The length of twisted wire here determines how big of a center allowance you can have. You can adjust the length here to make a smaller or wider center.
   

   Photo 4

6.  Make another Bow loop according to the pattern. Photo 5. Lace along the middle.
   

   Photo 5

7.  Form the second Bow loop and wrap the top basic wire around the base securely. Photo 6. 
   

   Photo 6

8. Undo any twists in the twisted wire. Cut the loop so that there are two wires. Photo 7.
   

   Photo 7

9.  Feed beads onto the working-wire and wrap it around the middle twisted wire. Photo 8.
   

   Photo 8

10.  Make two more wraps around the twisted wire. Photo 9.
    

    Photo 9

11.  Flip the whole unit to the back. Line the working-wire and the inner split basic wire together. Remove any excess beads and twist the wires together. Make the twisted wire so that you have room for one wrap. You only need to make 1 to 2 very tight twists. Photo 10.
    

    Photo 10

12.  String 20 beads onto the split basic wire and knot the end. Feed beads onto the working-wire and make the tail with a pointed top and rounded bottom. Photo 11.
    

    Photo 11

13. Wrap the working-wire around twice to make sure it is secure and bring the working wire to the back of the unit. Photo 12.
    

    Photo 12

14. Hold onto the center firmly and gently tug the working wire to pull the tail as close to the base as possible. Photo 13.
    

    Photo 13

15. Follow Step 11 and twist the working-wire and the top basic wire together. Photo 14.
    

    Photo 14

16. String 20 beads onto the wire and make the second tail according to the pattern. Tug the working wire gently towards the center.
17. Cut another tail wire off the spool.
18. Finish the top wires and lace along the centers. Shape the bow tails. Photo 15. 
    

    Photo 15

beaded bow tail wires:

What you do with the tail wires will depend on how you’d like to use the bow.
Glue: To glue the beaded bow onto objects, twist the wires together. Wrap the wires around in a circle to form a base then trim.
Brooch: Insert the two tail wires and wrap it around a brooch pin to secure.
Ornament: Twist the wires together. Form a loop use for hanging ornaments.

Video: