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Make a Beaded Christmas Tree to Celebrate the Holiday Season!

 




As 2021 comes to a close, I think we can all agree it wasn't quite what we expected. Nevertheless, we persisted, we kept pivoting, and I am so very grateful for each and every one of my beady friends who helped me get through the year with inspiration, community, and lots of fun. 

I finally, after much prodding and encouragement, tackled a project that has been on my list for years. Lesson learned, it was so much fun, much easier than anticipated, and a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit! 

There are so many variations to make, but here are the basic instructions for making a Beaded Christmas Tree. 

Materials:
Floral Tape
Size 11 seed beads
Jingle Bells, drops and Christmas Tree Light beads from Jesse James Beads

Step 1
Use the Spin-N-Bead to string up several feet of seed beads onto the 24 gauge Artistic Wire.

Step 2 - Make the branches
Working from the spool, leave about a 4 inch tail and measure out 3/4 inch of beads. Twist the beads into a loop. Leave about a half of an inch of bare wire, then pull out about 3/4 of an inch of beads and twist the beads into a loop. Continue until you have 6 loops on one side. After the 6th loop, start working the row of loops back down the other side. When you have 11 loops - one on the top and 5 on either side, start at that top loop, and twist the two sides together. Continue twisting the wire together so the tail is about 4 inches. Snip the wire from the spool and snip the loop off so that the wires are even.

Make lots of branches - at least 4 each with 3 loops, 5 loops,  7 loops, 9 loops and 11 loops.

Step 3 - Make the tree trunk
Cut three 12 inch pieces of 14 gauge wire. Straighten them with the Artistic Wire Wire Straightener, lash them together with the 30 gauge wire, and cover half way with floral tape (don't leave space at the top like I did in the video, wrap the floral tape all the way to the top so you don't have to fiddle with it at the end).

Step 4 - Attach the branches
Work from the top down and lash each of the branches to the base with the 30 gauge wire. Start with the smallest branches, wrap around three or four times, and keep adding branches until they have all been added. Bend and move the branches into place so that they are sticking straight out from the trunk.

Step 5 - Create the base
Unwrap the 30 gauge wire and floral tape from the bottom of the wires leaving about 2 inches under the last branches. Trim the branch wire ends if necessary.  Add another piece of floral tape to cover the rough wire ends. Bend the three 14 gauge wires at 90 degree angles to create a base for the tree. Use the Stepped Bail Making Pliers and Nylon Jaw Pliers to turn spirals in the same direction on each of the base wires.

Step 6 - Decorate your tree!
Use festive holiday beads to decorate your tree. Add drops with jump rings, create a garland, or add a strand of lights strung on 30 gauge wire. Don't forget my favorite part of the tree - the star on the top! For mine, I cut the loop off of a star charm, then wrapped it with 22 gauge Artistic Wire and made a coil on the bottom using the Stepped Bail Making Pliers.

Check out the Facebook Live with all kinds of extra information, including a long discussion on using the Spin-N-Bead and a bonus demonstration on using Spool Tamers

Have you made a beaded Christmas Tree or another kind of beaded or wire worked tree? Be sure to show us in the Jewelry Making with Beadalon Facebook Group.

Once again, I want to express my sincerest appreciation to all of our beady friends. I look forward to hanging out with you on Facebook Live each Thursday at 2pm ET, and love being able to create a feeling of togetherness even when we aren't able to get together in person. I wish you all the very happiest holiday season and send you all my best wishes for a healthy new year!

Until then, happy beading!
Meredith 

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