Decidedly Different Seed Bead Earrings

Seed Beads and Two Needle Weaving

I don't know about you, but I sometimes use beads like I use chocolate. Not in place of, mind you, but in conjunction with! If I've had a tough day, I'll go home and make myself a new pair of beaded earrings. Makes me feel better, even better than going shopping, because I beaded them myself. Beaded jewelry in general makes me happy, how about you? 

Anyway, that's how these pretties were born. Here's what you'll need to make yourself a pair, other than a case of the "bad day blues":

2 10mm pieces French Coil wire

Nymo D - color of your choice

2 Size 12 beading needles

72 11/0 seed beads, color of your choice

20 2 mm round sterling silver beads

14 3mm bicone crystals - clear

2 5mm bicone crystals - color of your choice

1 pair ear wires, metal color of your choice

Step 1: Start by preparing a 1 yard length of Nymo with Thread Heaven or beeswax, whichever you prefer. Thread each end of the Nymo through one of the needles, you will be working with two needles, but it's not hard!

Step 2: Add 1 of the pieces of French Coil onto 1 of the needles, and slide it to the center of the thread.

Step 3: Tape this piece down to your beading surface, to make adding the beads a bit easier.

Step 4: Place 3 seed beads onto each needle, and slide them toward the center.

Step 5: Add 1 bead to one of the needles and then pass the other needle through the beads, so that your threads cross one another. Pull tight, to snug this bead up to the previous 3 seed beads.

Step 6: Add 1 bead to each needle, pushing them up to the single bead.

Step 7: Add a 1 seed bead and repeat Step 5.

Step 8: Repeat Step 6.

Step 9: Repeat Step 5.

Step 10: Add 2 seed beads to each needle, then add one 2mm sterling silver bead, 1 small clear crystal, 1 2mm sterling silver bead, then two seed beads.

Step 11: Repeat Step five then step six, then step five again, then step six again.

Step 12: To each needle, add two seed beads , then 1 2mm sterling silver bead, 1 clear 3 mm crystal, 1 colored 5mm crystal, 1 clear 3mm crystal, 1 2mm sterling silver, 2 seed beads, and finally 1-2mm sterling silver bead.

Step 13: Add one 3mm clear crystal to one needle and pass the other needle through it, as in Step 5.

Step 14: Pass the needles back through all of the beads on the opposite side it started on, back to the last single bead.

Step 15: Remove the needles, pass the threads behind the main thread and tie off. Turn the earring over and tie on the other side. Secure knot with a dab of clear nail polish.

Step 16: Repeat all steps to make the other earring.

Step 17: Bend the French Coil wire slightly and place the earring onto an earwire.

Take care when bending the French Coil, it will get bent out of shape easily, and is very hard to fix once it does. The picture above shows the earring with and without an ear wire, so that you may see the French coil more clearly. Use the point of a pair of sharp scissors to cut french Coil so that you don't squash it flat.

Try these earrings with smaller beads, larger beads or with loose ends, just pass the thread back up the strand and tie off, making 2 fringes. There are many variations to try with this basic pattern. Do a few, and send me some pictures! Have fun!