®
Copyright Beadwork magazine, Interweave Press, LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.
Love Bugs
Nadi a Wi l son
Nadia has always been fascinated with the natural world and as
a child spent many hours exploring the outdoors. Animals have
always been a great joy in her life, so she created these wire-
worked bugs as a tribute to the fauna of the earth. Let them
remind you of the tiny things that are always underfoot!
Materi al s f or Snai l SNAI L
40 size 11° brown iris seed beads Step 1: Spiral. String 1 brown seed bead to the center of the wire. Hold the
16 size 11° silver-lined topaz seed beads ends of the wire together to string 38 brown seed beads and the
2 jasper 4mm rounds teardrop. Hold the beads snug while you bend the beaded wire into
2 topaz 6mm Czech fire-polished beads a spiral against the teardrop (Figure 1).
1 topaz 8mm Czech fire-polished bead Step 2: Body. Use both wires to string 1 brown seed bead then pass back
18×24mm horizontally drilled stone teardrop through the teardrop (Figure 2). Use both wires to string 2 topaz 6mm
10" of silver 28-gauge wire and 1 topaz 8mm fire-polished. Bend the wire into a curve.
Pin back (optional) Step 3: Antennae. Use each wire to string 8 topaz seed beads and 1 jasper
Glue (optional) round. Use an awl to coil the wire close to the bead, then trim any
Tool s excess wire (Figure 3). If desired, glue a pin back to the back of the
Awl teardrop bead.
Wire cutters
Round-nose pliers
Chain-nose pliers
Techni que
Wireworking
Fi ni shed Si ze 11D 4 × 11D 4" Figure 2
Figure 1
Figure 3
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Materi al s f or Ladybug
82 red size 11° seed beads (A)
12 black size 11° seed beads (B)
1 black 6mm Czech fire-polished round
1 black 12mm Czech fire-polished round
16" of red 24-gauge wire
32" of red 28-gauge wire
5" of black 24-gauge wire
Pin back (optional)
Glue (optional)
Tool s
Awl
Wire cutters
Round-nose pliers
Chain-nose pliers
Techni que Wireworking
3
Fi ni shed Si ze D 4 × 11D 4"
LADYBUG
3
Step 1: Wing frame. Cut 8" of 24-gauge red wire. Form a D 4" Figure 4 Figure 5
1
loop at the center and twist the wire, leaving 2 D 2" tails.
Bend the loop into a D shape with the tails at the top
corner (Figure 4).
Step 2: Wing beads. Cut 14" of 28-gauge wire. Pass through
the D and use needle-nose pliers to twist the wires
together leaving a 1" tail.
Row 1: String 2 red seed beads. Slide the beads down then
wrap the wire around the opposite side of the D (Figure
5). Repeat for each row as follows:
Row 2: 3 red. Figure 7
Row 3: 6 red. Figure 6
Row 4: 1 red, 1 black, 2 red, 1 black, and 2 red.
Row 5: 3 red, 1 black, and 3 red.
Row 6: 1 red, 1 black, 4 red, 1 black, and 1 red. also create a base for the ladybug. Shape the wings to
Row 7: 7 red. bend around the body.
Row 8: 6 red. Pass back through a couple beads then trim Step 5: Head. Fold the black wire in half and pass each end
close (Figure 6). through the top of a wing. Twist the wire to secure it,
Step 3: Second wing. Repeat Steps 1 and 2, reversing the then use both ends to string the 6mm bead. Use one wire
sequence of Row 4. to string a black seed bead. Bend the wire around the
1
Step 4: Body. Pass the wing frame tail wires through the 12mm seed bead to secure it D 2" above the head; trim excess wire
1
bead and trim each to D 2". Use round-nose pliers to curl (Figure 7). Repeat with the other end of the wire. Glue
each wire away from the hole to secure the wings and on pin back if desired.
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Materi al s f or Bumbl ebee
4 clear size 11° seed beads
14 black size 15° seed beads
1 black 6mm Czech fire-polished round
4 clear 8×10mm vertically drilled leaves
1 yellow 10×14mm horizontally drilled lemon
8" of black 24-gauge wire
24" of silver 28-gauge wire BUMBLEBEE
Pin back (optional) Step 1: Wings. Cut 10" of silver wire. String the lemon bead
Glue (optional) and hold it at the center of the wire. Use one end to string
Tool s 1 leaf and 1 clear seed bead. Pass back through the leaf.
Awl String 1 leaf and 1 clear seed bead. Pass back through
Wire cutters the leaf and the lemon bead (Figure 8).
Round-nose pliers Step 2: Use the other end of the wire to repeat Step 1 on the
Chain-nose pliers other side of the lemon, passing the end of the wire back
through the lemon as before (Figure 9).
Techni que Step 3: Head. Bend both wires up to the tip of the lemon and
Wireworking use both to string the 6mm round. Use one wire to string
Fi ni shed Si ze 11D 4 × 11D 4" 7 black seed beads; skip the last bead and pass back
through the others and the 6mm; repeat with the other
wire (Figure 10).
Step 4: Stripes. Pass one end of the black wire into the lemon.
Wrap the wire around the lemon to the other end; trim
excess wire. Glue the pin to the back, then wrap the sil-
ver tail wires around the top wings and the pin; trim
excess wire (Figure 11).
Nadia Wilson is an art major at Pacific University. She enjoys making
jewelry of all kinds, and she also works in ceramics and stained glass.
She has been working and teaching at Planet Bead in Hillsboro, Ore-
gon, for nearly two years. Kits for this project are available at www.plant
beadonline.com.
Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11
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