Vintage blooms bead embroidered necklace

Imitate the look of Miriam Haskell jewelry with bead-embroidered lace.

SUPPLIES

necklace 15½ in. (39.4 cm) with 1½ x 2-in. (3.8 x 5 cm) centerpiece

• 5 12 mm mother-of-pearl disc beads
• 5 8 mm baroque glass pearls
• 6 6 mm baroque glass pearls
• 36 6 mm round glass pearls
• 5 5 x 7 mm faceted fire-polished glass drop beads (Shipwreck Beads, shipwreckbeads.com)
• 2 5 mm round glass beads
• 3 5 x 3 mm rice pearls
• 5 4 mm fire-polished beads, oval
• 25 3 mm drop beads, color A
• 20 3 mm drop beads, color B
• 2 g 11/0 seed beads in each of 4 colors, C, D, E, F
• 2 ½ (1.3 cm) shank buttons
• 1 20 mm filigree flower stamping
• 1 14 x 20 mm stamped metal leaf
• 2 lace appliqué shapes
• beading thread, size D
• Fireline 6 lb. test or Power Pro 10 lb. test
• beading needles, #11 or #12

Floral centerpiece

1. If the lace shapes are connected, cut them apart, and set one aside.

2. Place the filigree stamping on the lace where you want the flower to be.

3. Tie an overhand knot at the end of a comfortable length of thread, and sew up through the lace and the center opening of the filigree stamping (PHOTO A). Cross over a spoke in the stamping, sew back through the lace (PHOTO B), and sew back up through the center opening of the filigree. Repeat at several intervals to securely attach the filigree stamping to the lace.

4. Sew up through the lace and the stamping, exiting a hole in the next round of openings. Pick up an 11/0 seed bead in the color of your choice, a 12 mm mother-of-pearl disc, and an 11/0. Sew back through the disc, the first 11/0 picked up, the stamping, and the lace. Skip a few openings, and sew up through the next one (FIGURE 1). Repeat around to attach all five discs, spacing them evenly around the stamping (FIGURE 2). 

5. To make a spike coming from beneath a disc, sew up through the lace and the stamping, exiting an opening adjacent to an opening through which you attached a disc. Pick up two 11/0s, a 5 x 7 mm drop bead, and an 11/0. Skip the last 11/0, and sew back through the previous three beads, the stamping, and the lace (PHOTO C). Repeat around to add a spike beneath each disc.

6. Sew up through the middle of the stamping. Pick up a button, and sew back through the middle of the stamping and the lace (FIGURE 3). Adjust the placement of the discs if needed, and pull the button snug.

7. To make a branched spike, sew up through the lace and stamping, exiting through an opening along the outer edge of the stamping, adjacent to a spike. Pick up five 11/0s, a 5 x 3 mm rice pearl, and an 11/0. Skip the last 11/0, and sew back through the rice pearl and three 11/0s (FIGURE 4, a–b). Pick up three 11/0s, a 4 mm fire-polished bead, and an 11/0. Skip the last 11/0, and sew back through the 4 mm, the previous three 11/0s, and the next 11/0 on the main stem (b–c). Pick up three 11/0s, a color A 3 mm drop, a color B 3 mm drop, and an A drop, and sew back through the three 11/0s, the next 11/0 on the stem, the stamping, and the lace (c–d).

8. Sew up through the lace and stamping, adjacent to the next spike, and repeat step 7, substituting a 5 mm round bead for the rice pearl (FIGURE 5).

9. Repeat step 7 twice and step 8 once to make a total of five branched spikes, placing them adjacent to the spikes in the previous round.

10. Sew up through the lace, exiting an area you wish to embroider. Working in beaded backstitch, fill in the remaining exposed areas of the lace, using color C, D, E, and F 110 seed beads as desired. End and add thread as needed.

11. Determine where you would like the metal leaf to be, and sew through the lace to exit at that point. Pick up the leaf and an 11/0, and sew back through the leaf and the lace (FIGURE 6).

12. Determine where you would like a branched fringe to be, and exit the lace at that point. Pick up 22 11/0s, an A drop, and an 11/0. Skip the last three beads, and sew back through the next three 11/0s (FIGURE 7, a–b). Pick up three 11/0s, a B drop, and an 11/0, skip the last three beads, and sew back through the next two 11/0s and the next 11/0 on the stem (b–c). Continue in this manner until you have used a total of 10 fringes with drop beads (c–d). Work four more fringes, substituting three 11/0s for each drop bead. Sew back through the lace (d–e).

13. Repeat step 12 twice to make a total of three branched fringes.

14. Align the remaining piece of lace with the beaded lace, and whip stitch (Basics) the edges together (FIGURE 8).

15. To make a loop on the back of the centerpiece, sew through the lace to exit near one edge. Pick up approximately 15 11/0s, cross over to the other edge on a diagonal, and sew through the lace. Retrace the thread path through the loop of 11/0s. Repeat to make a second parallel loop (FIGURE 9).