Rosetta Window bead embroidery – Inspiration

Aniko beaded it from the Academy box for this Theme, and she is here to share the main steps of the beading journey, experience, ideas, and inspiration in the following article, which you may take as a tutorial for your jewel, or a knowledge source.

She says about her jewel: “Gothic Flare captures a moment suspended in time. It is the drama of the stained glass catching twilight, the flare of ornament blooming in geometry. Regal yet bold, this pendant celebrates the spirit of innovation that Gothic art brought to stone and glass, a modern echo of a medieval blaze.”

Material list for a pendant/necklace:

• 3x 10×14 mm Rectangle Glass Cabochon in Azure Blue
• 2x 6.3 mm Cymbal Amos in 24K Gold Plated
• 2x 4 mm Preciosa Chaton Rose in Ruby
• 4x 8×8 mm WibeDuo in Crystal Pomegranate Metallic Ice
• 12x 3 mm Preciosa Bicone Beads in Cobalt Blue AB 2X
• 1x 4 mm Preciosa Bicone Beads in Siam
• 4x 2.5×6 mm Daisy Flower Metal bead Gold colored
• 6x Miyuki Slender Bugle in 457 Metallic Dark Bronze
• 11/0 Miyuki Delica in 1587 Matte Opaque Agata Blue
• 11/0 Miyuki seed beads in 457 Dark Bronze
• 15/0 Miyuki seed beads in 4202 Duracoat Galvanized Gold
• 15/0 Miyuki seed beads in 457 Metallic Dark Bronze
• Ultrasuede foundation in Black Onyx
• 0.12 mm Fireline, Tulip needle, Glue

OPTIONAL for the beaded chain:

• Miyuki Slender Bugle in 457 Metallic Dark Bronze
• 3 mm Preciosa Bicone Beads in Cobalt Blue AB 2X
• 3 mm Round Glass Pearls in Dark Cranberry
• 2×3 mm Faceted Micro Spacer bead in 24K Plate
• 11/0 Miyuki seed beads in 457 Dark Bronze
• Clasp of your choice

The Bible of Bead Embroidery Knowledge: The Traveller

I recommend starting here if you are new or want to deepen your existing knowledge. If you would like to bead any of the more complicated jewels in the future, you will need to be 100% comfortable with the basics. The more advanced tutorials don’t repeat all the hints and tips every time, so before you dig deeper, please, give yourself some time, and bead a Traveller. The instructions are extremely detailed, everything is recorded on video, and you can watch them as many times as you need. There are also recorded Q&A sessions from the time when I was teaching The Traveller for the first time, that besides my insight, are also deemed with knowledge and experience shared by fellow, more experienced beaders.

After watching these videos and beading your first Traveller, you’ll be perfectly prepared to play with all the beads and components in this article!

GOTHIC FLARE – The Rosetta Window bead embroidery

I created a lancet window shape using Rectangle Glass Cabochons as focals, and decorated wiht Cymbals, WibeDuos, metal beads, bicone beads and seed beads.

1. Prepare your beads and foundation.
2. Draw the shape of the pendant on the foundation and draw your lines according to the positioning of the cabochons.
3. Glue the Rectangle glass cabochons to the Ultrasuede foundation, equally spaced. Calculate the distance between the cabochons so that the cymbals fit between them.
4. Decorate the space around the cabochons with beads according to your personal taste, or follow the instructions.
5. Cut your beadwork and glue the backing.
6. Finish your beadwork by stitching the layers of Ultrasuede together.
7. Make the beaded chain.

1. Prepare your beads and foundation.
2. Draw the shape of the pendant on the foundation. Although I had planned to make a lancet shaped pendant, I drew a rectangle. Later it will be easier to measure and cut the arch shape on the top, if you draw a cross in the centre of the rectangle. You can also draw the horizontal centerlines of the cabochons.
3. Glue the Rectangle glass cabochons to the Ultrasuede foundation, equally spaced. Calculate the distance between the cabochons so that the cymbals fit between them.

4. Stitch the Cymbals between the cabochons.

Start bezeling the cabochons with 2-bead backstitch using C11, R15, and WibeDuos according to the photo.

5. Continue bezeling around the cabochons with square stitch, using R15 on top of the C11.

As you get in line with the Cymbals, fill in the gaps with (2)R15 on both sides.

6. This is how your beadwork looks now.

7. Make a design plan on the additional decortive elements around your beadwork. You can always change it as you proceed, it is just good to have an approximate plan.

8. Glue the Metal Flower bead and secure it with an R15 to the middle of the bottom part.

Surround it with R15 beads, using 2-bead backstitch.

Sew BIC3 + R15 beads in the corner according to your design plan, and bead along the side with R15 and Slender Bugles.

9. As you reach the top, you can start decorating the upper part with the BIC3, R15 and Flower Metal beads, using the same method as in the previous step.

10. When you have reached around and finished the bottom part, continue decorating the top part. Attach the third Metal Flower bead and fill in the gaps with BIC3 and R15 beads, so that the top has got a Gothic arch shape.

11. Decorate the arch with R15, R11 and BIC4, using 2- or 3-bead backstich, depending on the space available and the number of beads you can add.  I used the R11 beads on both sides of the BIC4.

Cut the Ultrasuede foundation to shape.

12. Cut out the shape from a piece of cardboard paper. Cut it to a size that just covers the stitches on the back.

Glue the cardboard to the back.

13. Cut out the motif again from a 2nd piece of Ultrasuede, this will be the backing. Glue it on the back and make one final cut all around the beaded motif, close to the beads.

14. Finish the edge with one row of R15 beads.

You can add extra embellishment with picots around the WibeDuos, at the bottom of the pendant, and at the top.

15. Make the beaded chain. I made mine with 4-bead tubular herringbone stitch. I used Slender Bugles, R11, BIC3, P3, Faceted Micro Spacers.

When you have reached half of the desired length, attach the beaded chain to the pendant, using the R15 beads on the edge. Make the second half of the chain and attach it to pendant on the other side.

Add the clasp of your choice.

I hope you enjoyed this beading journey. Play with different beads and decorative elements, change the colors if you want, enjoy the creative process and your new jewel.

Happy beading! ☺