PDF – French beaded cosmos pattern

Description

PDF pattern – French beaded cosmos

There is nothing that screams Summer more than tall elegant cosmos billowing in the breeze. This French beaded cosmos project is modeled after the cosmos in my garden. Is there anything more enchanting than a bouquet of cosmos in all the colors. They come n various shades of pink, white, red, and yellow.

Level: Intermediate

This is an intermediate pattern. This pattern assumes you know the the basic techniques. The techniques you need to already know are:
· Continuous Loops
· Basic Frame
· Scallops
· Lacing

What you’ll learn in this tutorial:

· Continuous Split Basic
· Continuous Branching Fringe

Follow the links below to learn the basics via free pdfs and videos:

• Basic Frame
• Lacing
• Continuous Loops
• Scallops

What you’ll get in this PDF:

• 14 page PDF
• 76 photos with step-by-step instructions
• Bonus lessons on shading

Materials:
· 70 to 90 grams 11/0 main color seed beads
· 50 Grams 11/0 green seed beads
· 10 grams yellow seed beads
· 1 gram brown seed beads
· 24 gauge main color copper-core wire
· 26 gauge gold copper-core wire
· 28 gauge green copper-core wire
· 30 gauge wire for lacing (main color, silver, or gold)
· 1 length of 16 gauge stem wire
· 7 lengths of 18 gauge stem wire
· Light green floral tape
· Embroidery floss (if flossing stem)

Beads: 

I used size 11/0 seed beads for this project. You’re welcome to use color choices of your own but if you like my color schemes, below are the specific beads I used:

I used several beads for the main color in the various samples.

These are some of the bead colors I used for the petals:
· 11/0 Matsuno Dynamite matte pink
· 11/0 Matsuno Dynamite matte dusty rose
· 11/0 Matsuno Dynamite opaque rainbow white

Leaves/Sepals:
· 11/0 Matsuno Dynamite opaque rainbow emerald green

Center:
· 11/0 Matsuno Dynamite transparent rainbow yellow
· 11/0 Matsuno Dynamite transparent rainbow root beer

Wire: 

Petals: We’ll be using 24 gauge wire for the petals. If you can’t find a main color wire that matches with your beads, copper or gold will work fine for pink beads. Silver wire can be used for white beads. I generally use silver wire with white beads.

Center: Due to the small loops, 26 gauge wire is best. Using 28 gauge wire is also acceptable. Use gold or silver.

Leaves/Sepals: Both of these units will use 28 gauge green wire. I do not recommend substituting with another gauge as you’ll need to be able to get the wire through the beads twice. In a pinch, you can use 30 gauge wire, but the units will be more flimsy.

Bud: Using 26 gauge wire is best for the bud due to its size and tight spacing. The bud can be finicky for some to make and you may skip making this if you know your abilities. You can make another flower in its place instead.

Notes about this pattern: 

The majority of the units in this pattern are using cut lengths of wire. There are some things that could affect the
length of wire you need to cut. Here are so factors in the wire lengths in this tutorial:

Beading tight or loose: I bead tightly. If you tend to bead loose, you may need to add more cut wire. I
usually add a few inches in my estimates to accommodate beaders who bead more loose.
Japanese vs Czech seed beads: I used Japanese seed beads in this tutorial. If you use Czech beads, you
may need to reduce the the length of wire needed.

The combination of how tight you bead with the type of bead used could affect the length of cut wire you need. If
you are using Japanese seed beads and tend to bead tightly, you will be fine following my length
recommendations.

• If you are using Japanese seed beads and tend to bead loosely, you may need to cut 5 to 10 inches (12.7 to 25
  cm) more to accommodate.
• If you are using Czech beads and bead tightly, you most likely will need less wire. Make the first unit following my
  recommendations and then make note of what you need for subsequent units.
• If you are using Czech beads and bead loosely, you will most likely be fine following my wire recommendations
  and then adjust for subsequent units.

Doubling or Tripling the pattern: The pattern calls for 2 sections (or layers) of 3 to 4 branching stems per each section. If you’d like to extend the main stem, continue adding more sections on the main stem as cosmos in nature can be quite tall.