My French beading blog series has been inspired by a Beadalong on the Seed Beads and More Facebook group. Now, I promised them a little guide to how to make a beaded Advent Candle Holder. So, I thought I would share it with all of you as well!
What do you need?
My beaded Advent Candle Holder uses just two elements.
French beaded holly
First you need three sprigs of French beaded holly. You can find my pattern here>>
You need to make the nine leaves that will form your Sprigs.
Take three leaves and twist the stem wires together, to form a single Sprig. But DO NOT wrap your stem wires yet.
You want a total of three Sprigs and each of them should look something like this…
(Note: the materials for the holly leaves are… size 11 seed beads, 6mm round red beads, 24ga/0.5mm green wire)
Pine Cones
Secondly, you need three beaded pine cones. You can find the pine cones pattern here>>
These are made using Peyote stitch, working with Piggy beads and size 11 seed beads, plus your favourite beading thread.
When you have finished the main pine cone, you need to start adding a little Peyote strip, which you will use in the assembly process. The pattern explains how to do this. But just make sure you leave your thread attached as you will use it again later.
You want a total of three pine cones. Each should look something like this…
Note: if you have been working on the Beadalong, then you may already have Lauren Harpster’s pattern for French beaded pine cones. So, you could use those instead of the beaded pine cones I have just shown.
How to make a beaded Advent candle holder
Now you have your components ready. So, it’s time for me to show you how to make a beaded Advent candle holder with them.
Step 1
Take your three holly sprigs. You are going to begin binding the stem of the first sprig with stem tape…
Then, as you work, you need to add in the stems of the other two Sprigs, forming the wire into a circular base. Hold this in place with the stem tape.
If you wish, you can make a separate circle from wire, then bind the holly sprig stems to this.
Step 2
After you have finished covering with the stem tape, you need to bind the entire circle with embroidery silk.
The binding process normally ends up knocking the holly leaves about a little. So, just arrange them into place now.
Step 3
Now, take your first Pine cone and wrap the little end strip around the circular base, in between the holly. If you need to, you can add some extra rows to extend the strip.
You want to attach it back onto the pine cone base. Then, anchor it onto the thread covering your candle holder base. So, it should look something like this…
The pine cones are quite heavy. So, you may need to add some stitches to position it as you want it on the candle holder base ring.
Step 4
Add your remaining two pine cones, positioning them between the holly leaves.
That’s it!
I’ve just shown you how to make a beaded Advent Candle Holder that you can use year after year.
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: Never leave a lit candle unattended. You don’t want it to burn down and catch fire on something. And you certainly don’t want to spoil your lovely beadwork!
If you’re wary of naked flames, then I have the perfect solution… A beaded Advent Candle, complete with a little flame so you can really light your candle!
