Bead and Wire Flowers

Let me tell you about the differences between flowers made in these two wonderful crafts by first talking about how they are most similar – that is in the process of creating them. They are both made by wrapping around a central wire stem. They are both made with individual petals assembled into a flower. And there the similarity ends.

 

If you have seen examples of beaded flowers and Ganutell, I’m sure you noticed quite a difference indeed. The obvious, of course, is that they are made from different materials. In this photo, the French beaded flower, on the left, is made from small glass beads strung on a wire. This flower is more substantial and quite a bit larger in size than a Ganutell flower. The bigger beaded petals can be laced with a fine wire to give them even more strength, and the largest of these flowers can then be five or six inches across without losing it’s shape. French beaded flowers are used in wedding bouquets, decorative floral arrangements, jewelry …. they have endless possibilities, except that all those beads make for lots of weight.

 

The Ganutell flower on the right is made from rayon floss  and a fine copper wire spun together to make somewhat stiff thread. This material has enough body to hold a shape well in a petal, but only to less than an inch in width. As you can see in the photo, even after assembling a good number of these petals together, the resulting flower is still quite light and delicate. That’s the charm of flowers made in the craft. Ganutell flowers also provide great opportunity for embellishment with beads and wires that are corrugated and spiralled. These flowers are used for decoration in wreaths, sprays, and framed arrangements.

 

Both these crafts are centuries old and often ornate in style. Today’s crafters, however, are creating lighter and more whimsical beaded flowers and Ganutell florals, making good use of the huge variety of new materials. Imagine with me — wouldn’t it be interesting to combine the best of both these crafts for a contemporary fusion of styles?

 

Stay tuned ………