Basic Frame

French beaded flowers technique – Basic Frame

Level: Beginner

The Basic Frame is one of the foundation techniques of making French beaded flowers. Learn this French beading technique and you’re on your way to follow the many patterns to making bead and wire flowers. In this lesson, you’ll be making a sample petal or leaf. Read through the directions and you’ll also learn how to read French beading patterns.

PDF >> Download the Free PDF for the Basic Frame technique

French beaded flowers technique: Basic Frame (rounded top)

Practice Leaf – 11/0 seed beads/24 gauge wire
Pattern: 3-bead basic (BB), rounded top, rounded bottom (RT, RB), 5 rows

Prepare: String approx. 20 inches (50 cm) green beads onto a spool of 24-gauge green wire.

1. 1. Move 3 beads to the end of the wire. At the 1-inch (2.5 cm) mark, make a cross with the working-wire to form a loop. Adjust the loop so that it is around 3 inches (7.6 cm) from the cross to the bottom of the loop. Photo 1. Note: You can adjust the loop to be bigger or shorter depending on the size of the petal or leaf you are working on. Most of the time, length in the loop when making French beaded flowers doesn’t matter as long as you have enough room to wrap. In most patterns with more involved units, I will notate the wire lengths needed so that you have enough wire to wrap without too much wire waste due to over-estimation.
    Photo 1
  2. Twist the wires together down about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Photo 2. The twisted wire/loop is 3 inches total with a 1 inch (2.5 cm) twisted wire. Note: The twisted wire length can also vary due to the size of the unit you are making. This is called the basic frame. We started with 3 beads so this is called a 3-bead basic (BB) or also known as the basic row. See Photo 3 for the parts of the basic frame.
    Photo 2
    
    Photo 3
  3. Position the working-wire to the left. Feed beads onto the working-wire. Removing any excess beads, place the bare working-wire over the basic row.
  4. Wrap the working-wire behind the basic wire. Photo 4.
    Photo 4
  5. Then bring the working-wire back to the front. Photo 5.
    Photo 5
  6. Feed beads on the working-wire. Turn the unit counter-clockwise so that the basic loop is facing up.
  7. Wrap the bare working-wire around the twisted wire. Photo 6. Photo 6
  8. Follow Steps 3 to 7 until you have 5 rows.
  9. Wrap the working-wire around the base of the leaf twice to secure and cut the wire. Photo 7. Tuck in the wire bit with pliers.
    Photo 7
  10. Reducing to two bottom wires: Cut the end of the loop so that there are now two separate wires. Photo 8. You now have two (2) bottom wires.
    Photo 8
  11. Cut the top basic wire leaving approx. 1/8 inch (.3 cm) of wire left.
  12. Fold the wire bit to the back of the petal. Photo 9. See final practice leaf in Photo 10.
    Photo 9
    
    Photo 10
    
    Basic Frame (pointed top)
    
    Practice Leaf – 11/0 seed beads/24 gauge wire
    Pattern: 3-bead basic (BB), Pointed top, Pointed bottom (PT, PB), 5 row
    Prepare: String 20 inches (50 cm) beads onto a spool of 24-gauge wire. 1. Make a 3-bead basic (BB) frame. 2. To make a pointed top (PT), position the working wire at a 45-degree angle. Photo 11.
    
    Photo 11
    
    3. Wrap the working-wire at that angle by going behind the basic top wire. Bring the working-wire back to the front at that angle. Do NOT push the wire down yet. Photo 12.
    
    Photo 12
    
    4. Feed more beads onto the working-wire and make sure to push the beads up so that the tip of the wire is covered. This creates a pointed top. Photo 13.
    
    Photo 13
    
    5. Follow Steps 2 to 4 to create a pointed bottom on the twisted wire. Photo 14.
    
    Photo 14
    
    6. Finish making all 5 rows and cut off the working-wire. 7. Reducing the one bottom wire: Now cut at the the base the twisted wire so that there is now one bottom wire. Photo 15. Note: Having one bottom wire helps to reduce the bulk of the stem when assembling. See final sample leaf in Photo 16.
    
    Photo 15
    
    Photo 16