Saturday, January 27, 2007

Blue Flower

I used 3 strands of rayon floss with 0.25 mm (30 gauge) wire for this flower. Traditionally, flowers are usually made using only two strands of floss (with 0.2 mm--32 gauge wire) instead of three since it makes the finished work look neater and more delicate.
The size of this flower is as follows: from the tip of a small petal to the tip of the larger petal across from it, the flower is about 5 cm (2 inches) across. From the tip of one large petal to another large petal is 6 cm (<2.5 inches). All petals are basic petals. The small petals had 10 wraps on the initial wire, with 12 rounds; the larger outer petals have a bugle bead on the initial wire with 20 rounds.
You can use a regular drop spindle for spinning the thread and wire. If you use an electric drill or something similar, you will have to spin your thread and wire horizontally. You will have to attach the wire and thread to something, and you will need a lot of room for the wire and thread to spin. The spindle, however, works in an upright manner, so you do not need a lot of room for spinning. Also, you won't need to attach your thread and wire to anything since you'll be holding them in your other hand. In addition, a spindle will give you a more even twist than you would get from an electrical machine due to the fact that it is spinning vertically.
When you spin the thread and wire with a spindle, I think it's a good idea to spin it several times to ensure that the wire and thread are wound together well. Keep the prepared thread on the spindle and work your flower from that. Give your thread an extra twist right before using it.

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