Description
This seed bead snowflake pattern originally appeared in the Winter Sparkle issue of Bead and Jewellery magazine in 2016. It is a project for confident beaders, but the resulting Christmas decoration is stunning!
Materials
- Size 11 seed beads
- Size 15 seed beads
- Two Swarovski rivolis (or Chinese rivolis if you’re on a budget)
- Superduos
- Spike beads
- A snowflake form
- Beading thread
Techniques
The seed bead snowflake pattern uses a combination of Peyote stitch and Right Angle Weave. You need to be confident in both techniques for this project.
However, if you need some extra help, you can download free tutorials for these techniques.
About the seed bead snowflake pattern
This seed bead snowflake pattern is probably one of the hardest designs I have created. Why? Simply because I had an idea in my head and I spent literally years trying to make it.
I have to confess that I’m still not completely happy with this. So, I think I may keep trying to make that elusive ‘perfect snowflake’ pattern!
I originally saw the crystal spike beads and thought they looked like icicles. So, this is how the idea started to evolve. Icicles led to snowflakes. The spike beads seemed to be ideal for creating ice crystal tips…
However, there is always a catch! I soon discovered that it was trickier than I had imagined to incorporate the spike beads into the design. Getting them to ‘sit still’ proved a challenge. I then worked out how to make a beaded casing that overcame this problem.
Next, I had to work out how to attach them to the ‘arms’ of the snowflake. So, this proved to be yet another construction challenge.
I managed to overcome all the challenges and create a workable design, but I’m still not done with snowflakes!
Snowflake size
This snowflake measures about 8″ across. So, it may be a little large for your tree, but I hang mine from a light fitting. It makes a gorgeous decoration and the light above adds to the sparkle!
