Description
This bowl of berries and cream is in fact a beaded box! It offers great storage and is so cute to look at. What more could you want?
Materials
Almost all the materials for the berries and cream bowl beaded box are available here on my website. You will need:
- Peanut beads in your chosen berry colours
- Size 10 delicas in two colours
- Seed beads in sizes 15, 11 and 8
- 4mm round beads for blueberries
- Your choice of beading thread
If you want to get fancy with the pattern, you can use more colours of the delicas. You can make this using size 11 delicas, but take care with the proportions. So, you might want to add a few extra rows to increase the size of your box so it is in proportion to the berries and cream that fill the bowl.
If you would like the exact beads I used for the blueberries, mine came from GJ Beads – you will find all the details on the pattern.
When you are thinking about the beading thread, please choose something that will give you good tension. Thread is a personal preference for many. My thread of choice is Fireline, but not everyone agrees with me. So, go with whatever you find works best for you.
Techniques and Experience
You are going to be working in circular and tubular Peyote for both the berries and cream and also the box. The pattern assumes that you are already comfortable with both techniques. If you need some reminders, you can find a free tutorial here.
I have listed this as an advanced pattern because there are a few fiddly bits to it. I confess, I find it difficult to determine what is ‘intermediate’ and what is ‘advanced’, so let me just say, this should suit the following people:
- anyone who considers themselves a confident beader
- anyone who is good at following instructions
Also, remember, I am always happy to give a little personal tuition via email if you get stuck!
I have illustrated the pattern with plenty of diagrams and photos. It also includes lots of tips and detailed descriptions of the steps.
About the Berries and Cream Bowl Box
I came up with the idea of a bowl of berries and cream because I was looking for an excuse to experiment with some more berries! So, I created this pattern in the Autumn when my garden was full of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.
I also happened to be a little bit addicted to beaded boxes at the time I made this! To be fair, I’m not sure that this addiction will ever pass…
So, the design for the bowl actually matches my kitchen. The box measures about 8 x 9 x 6cm. So, that’s big enough to store a little pack of spices (or maybe a sneaky little treat!). It’s a really cute ornament as well as providing some practical storage.
If you like that idea, then why not use the pattern colouring to match the decor of the room where you are going to keep your box? You can easily add some extra colours into the pattern. Or, maybe you even want to design your own…
