Show Our Colors Red, White and Blue Earrings
Dateline: 09/17/01
This article originally ran as a Fourth of July project, but since they are so easy to make, I thought some of you would enjoy seeing them again. These little earrings can be whipped up in a very short time, and make a nice way to show off our Red, White and Blue. Here's what you'll need to make a pair of your own:
72 - Size 8/0 Seed Beads - Red
58 - Size 8/0 Seed Beads - White
38 - Size 8/0 Seed beads - Blue
2 - 5 mm Hematite Stars
Nymo Size "D"
Thread Heaven
2 Pcs. French Coil - 10 mm Silver
Set of Earwires - Silver
1. Starting the row with Red, make a Brick Stitch ladder.
2. Continue the next five rows in while, blue, red, white and finishing with blue. Be sure to reduce by one bead each row, so that you have 7 beads in the first row, 6 in the second, etc., until you end with 2 blue in the last row.
3. With the thread coming out of the top of the last blue bead you added, thread the French Coil onto the needle, and pass down through the other blue bead at the top.
4. With the French Coil making a U shaped loop at the top, tie off the thread, or secure by weaving back through the beads. Cut the thread.
5. Pass the thread through the first red bead on the first row, and tie the end to the edge of the thread to secure. Use a tiny drop of clear nail polish to hold.
6. Place 25 red beads onto the thread and pass the needle back up through the last red bead at the other end of the row.
7. Pass the needle down through the second red bead in the row, and add 20 white beads. Pass the thread back up through the second red bead at the other end of the row.
8. Pass the needle down through the third red bead in the row, and add 12 blue beads. Pass the needle back up through the third red bead at the other end of the row.
9. Pass the needle down through the red bead at the center of the row. Add a white bead, a star bead and another white bead. Pass the thread back through the star, making a loop around the last white bead strung. Pass up through the first white bead, and the red center bead. Do not pull too tight or the star will sit crooked. Just barely snug the thread up, then tie or weave through the beads to secure. See photo.
10. Add an earwire to finished piece to complete.