This is the necklace featured in the Spring 2015 Perles Et Cetera magazine. Designed by Carmi Cimicata for John Bead Corp and Dazzle-it.
They did a beautiful job showcasing the design and the step by step flower brooch project. The magazine is published in French, so this is the English translation of the article and how-to.
As the Social Media and Marketing Manager for John Bead I am in the enviable position of seeing products that will be released to our customers six months to a year in advance. It is so difficult to keep many of these product launches a secret!
John Bead invites you to take an imaginary trip to a faraway land that has been in the American spotlight for almost two decades. We are excited to introduce our new program inspired by the colors and flavors of Brazil under our house brand Dazzle-it™ – Make it shine. Our new collection is called “Tropical Punch.” For almost two decades Brazil has captured the interest of international investors and has been in the media as one of the most unique and effervescent melting pots in the world. 
Our Tropical Punch product line translates the trendy colors of Brazil, the sensuous style of Brazilian women and the joyful vibe of the country. Included in the bigger collection are several unique components that I used to make this tropical flower necklace.
Tropical Punch features opaque round and teardrop shaped beads in many colours. Once combined, they can create exotic and spiky flowers when sewn through a multi-hole metal component. This component, also known as a perforated disk has an easy-to-attach backing pin that makes your completed projects look professionally finished. I will show you how easy it is to make retro flower brooches, which you can wear as is or attach to a necklace as I did for my finished sample.
I have always wanted to know how retro 50’s flower brooches were created. I discovered that some simple sewing into the disk will result in some gorgeous beaded blooms. (I start with a needle that has a double length of thread about 24 inches long with a knot at the end.)
My first group of beads I sew side by side (leaving no openings) around and into the edge of the disk. It will feel like they are too loose and floppy at this point. Do not worry; we are about to fix that in the next step.
When the first row is in place, I then take my needle and thread up through the disk and only sew through the beads themselves. I pull my thread as I go and you will see your petals are better positioned.
This extra step tightens the petals beautifully and you can see a true flower shape now. With my needle still threaded I sew back down into the disk.
Adding in the second row of petals requires a little bit of patience and careful observation. The holes in the disk are your guide. You can add as many petals as will fit snuggly in the opening. I continue sewing through the disk with my original threaded needle. (If you have to add more thread, just make sure to knot your thread end and use a tiny bead as a stopper on the back side.)
One large bead can be used as the flower center. I sewed this bead twice to the disk to ensure it was firmly in place. This bead also helps to retain the flower shape of the second row of petals.
The back of my disk looks quite neat. I used a tiny bead as a bead stop and knotted my thread when I was finished.
Once you get the hang of the original flower shape you can begin to experiment adding in extra flowers and beads as I did. As long as you can run your thread through the, disk the extra embellishments will stay in place. I make sure that you do not see any part of the metal disk with extra beading.
When you have finished your sewing, the disk pin back easily fits into place and you can use a plier to press the tabs down so the back is then attached to the front disk. It looks beautiful now!
We also have a collection of polyester pipe which is a colorful, flexible and versatile hollow plastic pipe covered with polyester thread. This material offers unique functionality and is a great product to be incorporated into many multi-media applications. You can see how I cut two pieces of the pipe and positioned them side by side before gluing on two end caps.
I can’t imagine a faster way to create a unique necklace to showcase my tropical flower brooches. I just pined my flowers to the double pipe.
Since my project was completed so quickly I took a moment to see if there was any further embellishing I could do. Happily, Dazzle-it also has a collection of Faux Suede Tassels. A jump ring was all I needed to complete this look. Matching earrings were made in moments with just a bead and tassel.
I hope our Tropical Punch collection encourages you to “turn your life into an endless summer.” You’ll find more ideas on our blog and Facebook pages.
Products Used
Dazzle-it™ – Make it shine Tropical Punch beads, disks, end caps and polyester pipe
Dazzle-it™ – Make it shine Faux Suede Tassels
Dazzle-it™ – Make it shine Beading Needles and Threader
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