This free beading pattern for a pair of beaded earrings uses square stitch, fringe and Toho triangle beads to make a pair of bright, colorful earrings. ?Toho triangle beads give some texture to the earrings, while the bright red bugle beads and seed beads add a bright burst of color.
1. Materials
For this beaded earring pattern, you will need the following beads and materials:
- 5 grams Toho triangles, size 11, silver lined orange (A)
- 1 gram size 11 Delica beads, silver lined red (B)
- 1 gram size 15 Japanese seed beads, metallic silver (C)
- 1 gram 6mm Japanese bugle bead, silver lined red (D)
- 1 pair sterling silver fish hook ear wires
- Fireline beading thread, 4 lb. test
- Size 12 beading needle
- Scissors or thread cutter
*PLEASE NOTE: This pattern calls for Toho triangles. You can use the Miyuki triangle beads, but the Toho beads have sharper corners on them and will give the desired texture. Using the rounder Miyuki triangle beads will still work, but will give a very different look to the finished earrings.
2. Getting Started
Using a 5 foot piece of Fireline and A, make a ladder of 9 beads.
Do not weave back to the beginning of the ladder to reinforce it. You will be weaving through the ladder as you construct the earring, and this will strengthen and stabilize the ladder.
3. Adding the First Fringe
Pick up the following beads:
- 8A
- 1B
- 1D
- 1B
- 4C
Skip the last 3 C, and pass back through the rest of the beads. Pull snugly so that a picot is formed at the bottom of the strand.
Pass back through the A from the ladder that you exited at the beginning of this step.
4. Add a Picot to the Ladder
Pick up 1 B, 3 C, 1 B. Pass down through the next A in the ladder.
5. Add Triangles Using Square Stitch
Pick up 1 A. Using square stitch, stitch the bead to the corresponding A from Step 3.
Continue until you have added a total of 6 A.
To add the fringe, pick up:
- 1 A
- 1 B
- 1 D
- 1 B
- 4 C
Skip the last 3 C picked up and pass back through all the beads for the fringe. Pull snugly so that a picot forms at the end of the fringe.
Pass back through the 6 A beads that you added in this step, and back through the A in the ladder that you exited at the beginning of this step.
Add a picot to the top of the ladder and continue.
6. Adding the Hanging Loop
After you have 2 picots on the top of the ladder, in the center (fifth) A of the ladder, pick up 1 B and 8 C. Skip the 8 C and pass through the B, and then down into the next A of the ladder. Pull snugly.
You can weave back through the ladder and this loop a few times to strengthen and stabilize it.
7. Adding the Last Fringe
To add the last fringe, do not use square stitch to attach the 1 A.
Weave the thread into the beadwork, tying a few half-hitck knots as you go. Trim the thread close to the beadwork. Remember to weave in the thread tail as well.
8. Attach the Ear Wire
Use a flat nose or chain nose pliers to gently open the loop on the earring finding. Slip the completed earring onto the earring finding, and then firmly close the loop.
Repeat these steps to make a second earring.