Clematis Tiara

This stunning tiara allows you to be really creative. Keep it simple or go over the top with twirls and beads!

This project first featured in Beads And Beyond, Issue 5, February 2008 - published January 2008.

Buy all the materials for this project for £7.65:

Buy all the materials including the tools for £14.15:

Materials

1 x silver plated tiara base (TB31)
1 x 4M 1.0mm silver plated wire (SPW10)
1 x 25M 0.4mm silver plated wire (SPW04)
1 x 100g mixed glass pearls (GLXHPMX)*
1 x multi pliers (PRMT)
1 x clematis project sheet (WEB01P)
*Contents may vary and will not necessarily contain the beads & colours shown on this tiara.

Stage 1 - Making the large clematis

To make the large clematis cut 80cm of 1.0mm wire. Push a bead onto one end. Using round nosed pliers curl the end over to secure the bead and neaten. Directly underneath the bead bend the wire at a right angle and curl into a spiral of 4 or 5 coils. Bend a petal shape as shown. Then bend 5 more in the same way.

Stage 2 - Finishing the large clematis

Cut about 30cm of 0.4mm wire. Tightly wrap the wire several times around a petal at the end closest to the spiral. Then pass the wire along and wrap around the next petal. Continue until you have wrapped and closed the ends on all six petals. Snip off any excess wire.

Stage 3 - Making twirls and decorating petals

To make a twirl cut about 15 to 20cm of 1.0mm wire. Add a bead to one end and curl over the end as you did in Fig.1. Make several decorative kinks underneath the bead. To decorate the petals cut about 1 metre of 0.4mm wire. Wrap tightly around one side of a petal and then wind round and up about 1cm or so. Pick up a bead and pass the wire across. Wrap around the opposite side of the petal. To add a twirl place the stem next to the petal and wind your 0.4mm wire around and up it until it is secure. Continue wrapping your wire around the edges of the petal passing from one side to the other from time to time. Make it as sparse or dense as you wish. Repeat on all other petals with new metre lengths of 0.4mm wire as needed. Make two small flowers in the same way as the big one but use less wire for the basic flower shape (about). Make two leaves by making a spiral as you did in Fig.1 and one petal shape.

Stage 4 - Attaching items to the tiara base

To attach items to the base cut 1 metre of 0.4mm wire. Pass through the small hole on one side at the end of the tiara. Begin to wrap your wire along the base very closely and neatly. About 4cm in from the end add your first leaf by wrapping wire in between the spiral and the leaf shape. Continue wrapping along the base until you are ready to add your first small flower. Attach in the same way by wrapping your wire around a suitable petal and the base. Continue along until you have added all your made items.

Stage 5 - Finishing off

Using small pieces of wire attach the petals to each other at various points to secure. For a really intricate look add more twirls in between the petals.