WOYWW and How to make Russian leaves

Another busy week in Kittyville! Unbelievably, I am actually working at my desk this week - I have tidied it! I haven't tidied the rest of the room, but we are mid-decorating, and its a shocker - I can't wait to get all my storage in place and then we are good to go!

So the first thing you'll notice is my computer is on and streaming some TV shows (Grey's Anatomy - I am totally addicted!) from the US, cos I like to be ahead - I really hate crafting with nothing to watch on TV!

There's a few goodies scattered about - some shrink plastic that I'm very excited about using, a bit of bling that will go on a card to my mum, along with a bit of glimmermist that will be going on some flowers most like! There's also a necklace that was given to me ages ago which needs some fixing, and some yellow seed beads which I haven't decided what to do with yet, along with the usual tools and gubbins. You can just about see on the right a piece of paper, which leads me on to what I was doing while taking this pic - coming up with the instructions for the Russian leaves on my DT piece.


Cut a length of Nymo or narrow wire - I used 0.3 mm - about 50 cm in length. Use two contrasting colours of seed beads (I refer to these as A and B in the following instructions). Thread 1A and 5B onto your wire/thread and push them to the centre.

Pull the left thread through the 2nd B bead.You will end up with this:

Keep your column of beads to the left and add 2 more B beads. The wire will come out of the top of these beads, turn the wire back through the 2 B beads to the left of the two you have just added

and pull tight. This will leave you with this:

Then add another two beads and thread back through the two on the left in the same way. This will give you a column of 2 x 4 beads, like so:

Add two more B beads, sitting these at the right hand side of those just added. Your wire will be exiting the top of the work, and you will have two beads sticking out at the side, like this.

Thread an A bead, and then travel back down the first three B beads.

Thread another A bead, and then thread the wire through the 2 B beads you added in step 6. These A beads form the picots at the edges of the leaves.

Add two B beads and rest these on top of the two B beads where the wire exits.

Add two more B beads at the side of the last two added, and pass the wire through those last two added beads.

Form another picot where the wire exits at the top and the bottom.


Continue to work on the right hand side, until you have made six picots.

At this point, turn the work over and mirror the left hand side. You should now have a flat piece which needs to be joined. Where the wire exits on the right, thread 8 B beads.
Pass the wire through the last two B beads and the picot on the opposite side to join them together and make a complete unit.

Pass back through these B beads, and four more along the top.

You can now add veining if you wish, which I did on the leaves, or why not be creative and add anything you like in the middle - a pearl or crystal for example!

I'd love to see what you do with Russian leaves - especially as elements on cards or scrapbook pages!

Happy WOYWW everyone!