Beads
130 (about 1.2 grams) size 11 round seed beads in galvanized gold (A)26 size 15 round seed beads in metallic purple iris (B)
The bold capital letters above are the bead key for this tutorial Beading Supplies
2 matte 30mm gold plated textured pendant rings 4-pound, size B FireLine beading thread in crystal Hobby knife (Xacto) or children’s craft scissors Size 12 beading needle Thread burner 2 gold-plated jump rings 2 gold-plated French hook ear wires chain nose and flat nose pliers (or one of each)
You may also want to have on hand one or more bead dishes or a bead mat Squeeze the very end of the cut thread with your fingernails, teeth of a plier to flatten it, and thread the needle. Fold over about six inches of thread for single-strand beadweaving. Pick up 1 size 11 galvanzied gold bead (A) and slide it down about 8 inches from the end of the thread. Place it beneath one of the metal hoops. Bring the needle up on the front side of the hoop, and pass back through the bead in the opposite direction that you strung it. Hold the bead between your fingers and gently pull the thread to take up its slack (but don’t pull it through so far that you shorten the 8-inch thread tail). The bead should now be against the hoop, with the thread looped around the hoop. Hold the second bead in place with your fingers and bring the needle below the frame and up to the front side. Pass back up through the second bead, and pull the thread taut. Your first three beads should look like those in the photo on the left (please click to enlarge). Tip: If you use galvanized gold beads, you may encounter a few that stick on your needle because their holes are slightly too small. Set those aside and save them for another project, or switch to a size 15 needle to use them now. As with most beadwork thread tension is important: keep it relatively tight. Also, take the time to position each bead flush against the one before it, to avoid gaps between beads. After stitching the last bead in the round, pass the needle down through the first bead in the round, and then up through the last bead in the round again. Pull the thread taut. This locks the first and last beads together with thread. Pull the thread gently taut. Then, while holding the 2A in place with your fingers, pass back up through the second of those two beads, and pull the thread taut again. In the middle photo on the left, notice how I’m pinning the thread between my fingers toward the bottom of the photo. I do this to keep the thread tension taut so that the new bead remains in position while I pass up through it with the needle. The needle is in my other hand. Tip: Use the index finger of the hand holding your beadwork to gently press the bead toward you. This helps you pass the needle in front of the bridge of thread. When you reach the beginning of the second round, pass down through the first bead and up through the last bead again to lock these two beads together, just like you did in the first round (Step 6). The beads may look a little jumbled because of the tight fit, but you should be able to straighten them out quite a bit with your fingertips after completing all of the stitches. Remove the needle and thread it onto the thread tail. Use the same technique to weave-in this end of the thread. The trick is to hold the thread out taut when you touch the hot tip of the burner to the base of the thread, close to where it exits the beadwork. I do this by wrapping the thread around my finger a couple of times, and using that finger to pull the thread taut (click the photo on the left for a larger view). Cut both thread tails, being very careful not to touch any other threads in the beadwork – or your fingers – with the hot tip of the burner. Enjoy your new earrings! Edited by Lisa Yang
