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Project - Pip Bead Flower Components

Pip Bead Easter Flower Components

By Damaris Ramenaden

Suitable for Beginner/Intermediate

These beautiful pip bead flower components can be adapted for anything you want, giving you a whole bloom of flowers!

For a basic flower component, you will need:

And the tools you will need are:

These take between 30 mins to 1 hour to make and cost less than £1.50 each!

Steps for the Original Flower Component

  1. Start with 1m of conditioned thread and pick up 4 x 15° seed beads. Pass through these bead again to form a loop, then pass through the first 15° seed bead added. Leave a 6” tail.
  2. Pick up 1 x 15°seed bead and pass through the next seed bead in the round. Repeat three times so you have stitched a 15° between each of the beads added in step 1. Exit from the first 15° added in this step, to ‘step up’ for the next round.
  3. Pick up 1 x 11° and pass through the next 15° seed bead added in the previous step. Repeat three times so you have stitched a 11° between each of the 15° seed beads added in step 2. Exit from the first 11° seed bead added in this step, to ‘step up’ for the next round.
  4. Pick up 1 x Pip bead and pass through the next 11° seed bead added in the previous step. Repeat three times so you have stitched a Pip bead between each of the 11° seed beads added in step 3. Exit from the first pip added in this step, to ‘step up’ for the next round.
  5. Pick up 1 x Pip bead and pass through the Pip bead added in the previous step. Repeat three times so you have stitched a Pip bead between each of the Pip beads added in step 4. Exit from the first Pip bead added in this step.
  6. Pick up 2 x 15° seed beads, skip the next Pip bead, and pass through the second Pip bead (added in step 4). Repeat this process three times. You should find these two 15° seed beads sit on top of the Pip beads added in step 4. Exit through the first 15° seed bead added in this step.
  7. Pick up 1 x 15° seed bead, pass through the second 15° seed bead, the Pip bead and the next 15° seed bead. Repeat this process three times and exit from the last Pip bead in this round.
  8. Turn the flower component over and pick up 2 x 11° seed beads. Skip the next Pip bead and pass through the second Pip bead (added in step 5). Repeat this process three times and exit from the first 11° seed bead added in this step.
  9. Pick up 1 x 15° seed bead, pass through the second 11° seed bead, the Pip bead and the next 11° seed bead. Repeat this process three times, then weave through to exit from a Pip bead.
  10. Weave through the beads to reach the middle circle of 4 x 15° seed beads (these are the beads you added in step 1). Pass through one of these 15° seed beads, then pass your needle through the small hole in the middle of the circle of beads. Your needle should now be coming through the middle of the flower.
  11. Turn the component over so you are working from the top. Thread on 1 x Flower Cup bead and 1 x 11° seed bead. Pass back down through the Flower Cup bead and the centre hole again, then turn the component back over and pass back through one of the 15° seed beads in the middle circle. Pull the thread tight so the Flower Cup bead sits neatly in the middle of the component at the front.
  12. Weave through the beads at the back of the component so you are exiting from one of the 15° seed beads sitting between the 2 x 11° seed beads.
  13. Thread a needle onto the tail end of your thread, tie a discreet knot and weave though several beads before you neatly trim your tail thread.
  14. Returning to your working thread, pick up 1 x 15° seed bead, 1 x Rizo bead, 1 x 15° seed bead, 1 x Rizo bead, 1 x 15° seed bead, 1 x Rizo bead and 1 x 15° seed bead. Pass through the next 15° seed bead added in step 10. Repeat three times then exit from the first 15° seed bead added in this step. You should find your four sections of Rizo and 15° seed beads have made a ‘circle’.
  15. Pass through all the beads added in step 11 to reinforce the circle, ensuring you exit again from the first 15° seed bead added in Step 11.
  16. Pick up 1 x 15° seed bead, 1 x 11° seed bead, 1 x 15° seed bead, 1 x 11° seed bead and 1 x 15° seed bead. Skip the three Rizo beads and 2 x 15° seed beads in this section, and pass through the last 15° seed bead of the first section of the circle. Pass up through the first 15° seed bead in the next section of the circle.
  17. Repeat step 16 three times, then pass through the 1 x 15° seed bead, 1 x 11° seed bead and 1 x 15° seed bead added at the start of the step 16.
  18. Pick up 1 x 15° seed bead, and pass through the middle 15° seed bead in the next section. Repeat this three times, and exit through the first 15° seed bead added in this step.
  19. Pass through the four 15° seed beads added in step 18 several times to cinch them together and close the gap at the back of the flower component.
  20. Weave through a few beads, tie a discreet knot, then weave through several more beads before trimming the thread neatly. Your flower component is now complete!

Pip Bead Flower Stud Earrings

To make a pair of Pip Bead Flower Stud Earrings, you will need:

Steps

  1. Follow the original flower component steps 1-15

 

  1. Pick up 2 x 15°seed beads, skip the Rizo bead, then pass through the next 15° seed bead in this section. Repeat this process, picking up 2 x 15° seed beads, and passing through the next 15° seed bead in the section. When you come to the end of each section, pass down through the last 15° seed bead and up through the first 15° seed bead in the adjacent section.
  2. Continue all around the ‘circle’, then exit through the first 15° seed bead added in step 16.
  3. Pick up 1 x 15° seed bead, then pass back down through the next 15° seed bead, and then up through the next 15° seed bead on the next Rizo bead. You should be forming little picots that sit above the Rizo bead. Again, when you reach the end of each section, pass down through the last 15° seed bead and up through the first 15° seed bead of the next section (do not create a picot here).
  4. Continue around the ‘circle’, then exit from the first 15° seed bead added in step 18.
  5. Pick up 1 x 11° seed bead, then pass though the next 15° seed bead added in the last round. Continue to pick up 1 x 11° seed bead and pass through the following 15° seed bead until you have gone all the way round the 15° seed beads. Keep your tension fairly loose here, ready to add in the earring post in the next step.
  6. Making sure the 11° seed beads are still loosely stitched, insert the earring post onto the back of the flower component, then pass through all the 11° seed beads added in the previous step, cinching them tighter so they close over the flat earring post. Continue going around several times to cinch them closer and to form a tight closure over the earring post. The earring post should not be loose when you have finished.
  7. Weave through a few beads, tie a discreet knot, then weave through several more beads before trimming the thread neatly. Your flower earring is now ready to wear.
  8. Repeat the above steps to make a second earring.

Simple Pip Bead Flower Pin

 

To make a brooch or hat pin, you will just need:

  • The beads and tools listed for a flower component
  • A Stick Pin as a brooch base.

Steps

  1. Follow all the original flower component steps, however when you reach step 18, add the beads as instructed but before you tighten them, insert the stick pin head onto the back of the flower component. You can then tighten this round, and follow step 19 and 20 to finish the flower component. You should find that by passing through the beads a couple of times help cinch them closed over the stick pin head, thus securing them together neatly.

 

Fancy Pip Bead Flower Pin

If you wish to make a more extravagant brooch pin, you can make your base flower component as detailed above. You will also need:

Steps

  1. Follow the steps for the Simple Pip Bead Flower Pin
  2. Now you can make your next flower by following the steps for the original flower component, however omit steps 10 and 11 (where you add the Flower Cup bead, as this will be added separately).
  3. Continue from step 12 of the original flower component and finish your flower.
  4. You can now create a ‘stem’ that can be wire wrapped onto the stick pin. Take one headpin and thread on a Flower Cup bead. Pass your headpin through the small hole in between the circle of 4 x 15° seed beads in the middle of the flower (these are the first 15° seed beads you added at the start).
  5. Be very careful when pushing the headpin through the gap, so you don’t snag any threads or break any beads. With a little force and gentle cajoling, you should find the headpin will go through.
  6. Once the headpin is through the gap, pull it all the way so it pulls the Flower Cup bead into the centre of the flower component.
  7. Using your fingers, bend the headpin at a right angle as close as you can behind the flower. You will find the flower is held in place securely.
  8. You can make smaller bud flowers by simply threading on a Flower Cup bead onto additional headpins and bending them at a right angle.
  9. Once you have made all the additional components, use the coloured copper wire to wire-wrap the headpins to the stick pin.
  10. Making sure your headpins are secure, trim the bottom of the headpins and form little loops, to stop them from coming out of the wire wrapping, and also help to stabilise your design.

 

When adding on any extra components to the basic stick pin design, there are a couple of helpful hints to make this easier:

  1. When you are ready to wire-wrap the headpins to the stick pin, it can be fiddly to hold all the pieces together to wrap them. You may find it useful to stick the individual components into something like Blu-Tack or Play-Doh to hold them in place, leaving your hands free to wire-wrap easily.
  2. When using the stick pin, this is the only part of the brooch that will go through clothes or hats, so it is best to trim the additional headpins and tidy the ends so they do not get caught on clothes.
  3. You can add as many components as you like, however consider how you will be wearing the finished piece. Too much weight can cause it to not sit right on clothes or hats.

Pip Bead Flower Rings

To turn the original flower component into a ring, you can create a ring band using embellished Right Angle Weave (RAW) stitch. You will need to work out which ring size you are before you start, and use the below to work out how many RAW units in total you will need:

For a ring size O, you will need 17 RAW units in total. Each additional RAW unit is equal to the next ring size e.g. ring size P will need 18 RAW units in total, ring size N will need 16 RAW units it total.

To make a ring size O you will need:

  • The beads and tools listed for the original flower component
  • An extra pinch of both the 11° and 15° seed beads
  • An additional 12 x Rizo beads
  • A pinch of 15° seed beads in a contrasting colour
  • 12 x 8° seed beads

Steps

  1. Follow steps 1 – 19 for the original flower component

 

  1. Instead of finishing off your working thread, weave through the beads so you exit from one of the 15° seed beads in between the Rizo beads. You will now begin to make the ring band.
  2. Using your original colours, pick up 1 x 15° seed bead (in your original colour), 1 x 11° seed bead, 1 x 15° seed bead and pass back though the 15° seed bead in between the Rizo beads. You have just made your first RAW unit.
  3. Weave through the first two beads added in step 21, then pick up 3 x 11° seed beads (again in your original colour) and pass back through the 11° seed bead you exited from previously, to form a loop. You have now made your second RAW unit.
  4. Continue using your 11° seed beads to create RAW units, until you have created as many units as you need, minus one unit. E.g. as this ring is size O, there will need to be 16 completed RAW units so far.
  5. Pick up 1 x 15° seed bead, and pass through the 15° seed bead in between the Rizo bead directly opposite from where you started. This will create a ring with your flower component nicely centred on the band. Now pick up another 15° seed bead and pass back through the 11° seed bead to make you final RAW unit.
  6. Pass though the 2 x 15° seed beads again so you are exiting the 15° in between the Rizo beads.
  7. Using the contrasting colour, pick up 1 x 15° seed bead and pass though the 11° seed bead on the opposite side of the RAW unit. You will now start to add embellishment on top of the RAW units.
  8. Repeat step 27 along the whole ring band, so each RAW unit has a contrasting 15° seed bead sitting across its middle. Exit through the 15° seed bead in between the Rizos at the opposite end of the band again.
  9. Pass through the 15° seed bead on the side of the RAW unit, ready to add the side embellishments.
  10. Pick up 1 x Rizo bead, and pass through the 15° seed bead in the next RAW unit. Repeat this process twice.
  11. Pick up 1 x 8° seed bead and pass through the 15° seed bead in the next RAW unit. Repeat this process twice.
  12. Pick up 1 x 11° seed bead (in your original colour) and pass through the 15° seed bead in the next RAW unit. Repeat this process three times.
  13. Pick up 1 x 8° seed bead and pass through the 15° seed bead in the next RAW unit. Repeat this process twice.
  14. Pick up 1 x Rizo bead, and pass through the 15° seed bead in the next RAW unit. Repeat this process twice.
  15. Pass through the 15° seed bead in between the Rizos, so you are ready to add the second side embellishments.
  16. Repeat steps 29-34 to finish the band embellishments.
  17. Weave through a few beads, tie a discreet knot, then weave through several more beads before trimming the thread neatly. Your flower ring is now ready to wear.

Please remember all the beads in your ring are glass, so treat them with love and care, and be careful not to bang them against anything as this could cause the beads to break!