Beaded Flower Fairy Bag Charm
These fairies look lovely on a Christmas tree, hanging in a window or made into a bag charm. They can be made out of any oddments of size 8 and size 11 seed beads you have in your bead stash. However if you want to make any of the particular fairies in the picture above, I am working on a page which lists each fairy and the beads used.
The finished fairy is about 7.5cm tall. The fiddliest part of this project is making the skirt. It does need a bit of patience and quite nimble fingers.The legs and arms are made using 0.3mm thick wire which makes it easy to pose your fairy in any position you fancy.
To make each Fairy you will need
- 1 Rose Quartz 10mm Round Bead
- 2 Rose Quartz 4mm Round Beads
- 1 7mm Flower Spacer or 1 8mm Flat Flower
- 6 10 mm Small Leaf Beads
- 1 8mm Czech Glass Pearl Bead
- 16 (0.38g) Size 8 Toho Seed Beads (Colour A)
- 14 (0.32g) Size 8 Toho Seed Beads (Colour B)
- 130 (1.3g) Size 11 Toho Seed Beads (Colour A)
- 60 (0.6g) Size 11 Toho Seed Beads (Colour B)
- 22 (0.22g) Rainbow Ballerina Pink Toho Seed Beads (size 11)
- 150cm of 0.3mm thick silver plated wire
- 6cm of 0.6mm thick silver plated wire
- Round nose pliers
- Wire Cutters
To Make a Hook
- 9cm of 0.6mm thick silver plated wire
To Make your Fairy into a Bag Charm
- 1 Small Swivel Clip
- 1 5mm silver plated open jump ring or 1 5mm silver plated split ring
If you are not sure what any of these items are please have a look through our jewellery making glossary
Instructions
Step 1
Cut approximately 6cm of 0.6mm wire.
Straighten the wire using a pair of nylon nose pliers or by pulling it between your thumb and index finger.
Turn a loop at one end of the wire with the round nose pliers.
Step 2 - Make your Fairy's body
Thread on:
- 1 x 8mm Czech Pearl
- 1 x 10mm rose quartz bead
- 1 x Flat Flower Spacer
Trim the wire to about 18mm above the top of the flat flower and turn a small loop at the top.
Put the body to one side and make the legs.
Step 3 - Make your Fairy's legs
Cut 20cm of the 0.3mm wire.
Thread one of the leaves onto one end, leaving a small tail.
Wrap the tail twice around the wire above the leaf, and trim it close to the top of the leaf.
Step 4
Starting with a size 8 colour A seed bead thread on alternate A and B seed beads until you have added 15 size 8 seed beads.
Step 5
Pass the end of the wire through the loop at the bottom of the body.
Pass the wire through the loop again so that it is wrapped twice around the loop.
Step 6
Thread on another 15 size 8 seed beads, starting with a colour A seed bead.
Thread on a leaf bead and wrap the end of the wire around the top of the leaf as in Step 2.
Trim the wire.
Step 7 - Make the skirt
This is the fiddliest bit and takes a bit of patience.
Cut a 45cm length of 0.3mm wire and, leaving a short tail, wrap it around the fairy's body underneath the 8mm Czech pearl bead. Trim the short tail.
Thread on:
- 1 colour B size 11 seed bead
- 12 colour A size 11 seed beads
- 1 colour B size 11 seed bead
Step 8
Pass back through the last colour A strung missing out the colour B seed bead.
Hold the colour A seed beads tight between the thumb and finger of your other hand while you pull the wire through. This helps prevent gaps in the wire between the beads.
Thread on:
- 11 colour A size 11's
- 1 colour B size 11
- 12 colour A size 11's
- 1 colour B size 11's
Step 9
Repeat Step 8 four more times. You will end up with a long piece of wire with lots of seed beads on it and 5 points.
Thread on another 11 colour A size 11 beads
Step 10
Pass the wire through the first colour B size 11 strung. Wrap the wire once around the fairy's middle, under the Czech pearl bead, and pass it through the next colour B seed bead that is not a point. Wrap the wire around the fairy's waist again.
Continue in this way until you have passed the wire through all the colour B beads that are not points.
Wrap around the middle again and trim.
Bend the skirt into a petal shape.
Step 11- Make your Fairy's arms
Cut a 15cm length of 0.3mm wire. Tread a 4mm rose quartz bead on one end about 3cm from the end.
Wrap the short end of the wire around the wire above the Rose Quartz bead and trim.
Step 12
Add 13 of the pink seed beads.
Pick up the fairy body and wrap the wire once around the neck, between the Rose Quartz bead and the 8mm Czech pearl.
Add another 13 pink seed beads and another Rose Quartz 4mm bead as in Step 11.
Step 13
Take the 25cm length of 0.3mm wire. Wrap the middle of this wire around the fairy's neck, above the arm wire.
Thread on 12 colour B size 11 seed beads and one colour A size 11 seed
bead. Pass back through the last colour B strung (as in Step 8). Add 10
colour B seed beads and wrap the wire around the fairy's neck again. Repeat
on the other side and trim the wire.
Step 14 - Make your Fairy's hat
Cut 15cm of the 0.3mm wire. Wrap one end around the wire at the top of your Fairy's head between the flat flower spacer and the Rose Quartz bead.
Thread on a leaf bead and wrap the wire around again.
Step 15
Repeat 3 more times to give 4 leaf beads around the top of the fairy's head. Wrap the wire around again and trim
Attach a hook
Use 9cm of the 0.6mm wire to make a hanging hook. Turn a small loop at one end of the wire and bend the wire into an S-shape by wrapping it twice around a thick pen.
Take the hook and thread the end without a loop on it through the loop at the top of the fairy.
Turn a small loop at this end and your fairy is ready to hang up.
Or
Attach your fairy to a small swivel clip and use it as a bag charm.
Either use a 5mm open jump ring, to attach the fairy to the swivel clip, or use a 5mm split ring.
The split ring is more secure but is trickier to use. A pair of split ring pliers or split ring tweezers can help.