Starlet Earrings Tutorial

 

You will need:
A small quantity of size 11 seed beads in colours A, B, C and D
A small quantity of size 15 seed beads in colour D
16 4mm Czech faceted crystals
A size 10 or 12 beading needle
Fireline or other braided beading thread
A pair of ear wires
2 4mm jump rings
Long nose or flat nose pliers

 

Unless otherwise stated, use size 11 seed beads throughout. 

 

Thread your needle with at least ¾ of a metre of thread. Pick up 4 A beads and sew through them all again, plus one more, to create a circle. Leave a tail of about 8". Pick up 1 B bead and sew through the next bead in the circle...

Repeat a further 3 times. Step up at the end of this round by sewing through the first bead you added ready to start the next round...

Pick up 1 C bead, 1 D bead and 1 C bead and sew through the bead that your thread is coming out of, in the same direction...

This will create a little circle. Pick up 1 C bead and sew through the next bead...

Repeat the above two steps another 3 times so that you have a circle of beads at each corner with a single bead between each. At the end of this round, sew up through the right-hand bead on the first circle of beads you added ready, for the next round...

 

 

 

Pick up 1 C bead and sew through the top bead on the circle...

Pick up 1 C bead and sew down through the bead on the left-hand side of the circle...

Sew through the 2 adjacent seed beads as in the photo below...

Repeat another 3 times to add a C bead either side of the remaining colour D beads. Step up through the first C bead you added on this row to be ready for the next round.

 

Pick up 1 4mm crystal and 1 D bead. Sew back through the crystal and into the adjacent C bead...

Pick up 1 crystal and sew through the C bead on the opposite corner...

Repeat the 2 steps above a further 3 times to complete the row, replacing one of the D beads with a hanging loop as follows: Pick up 6 size 15 D beads and sew back through the first size 15 bead, the crystal and into the adjacent C bead...

 

Add the remaining crystal. Weave both the working and tail threads into the beadwork, making one or two half-hitch knots as you go. Trim the threads close to the beadwork.

 

Attach the finished Starlet to an ear wire with one of the jump rings. Repeat to make the second earring.

© Liz Reed for OTTBS 2015
We are happy for you to sell items you have made with this tutorial on a small scale but please do not sell this tutorial, make the design into kits, reblog or share via PDF. However, sharing a link to this page is always welcome and appreciated!

Wednesday's Wear It Or Frog It

Today I found this pretty peacock feather bracelet that I made several years ago. The design was in an early issue of Beads & Beyond magazine, I fell in love with it straight away and just had to make it!

The pattern used cylinder beads and tiny size 15 seeds and although I'd already started my obsession with beadweaving by then, I only had size 11 beads in my stash. So that was the one and only time that I bought all the beads in the exact colours needed.

The cost of the beads plus the fact that I'd used a sterling silver clasp for the first time meant that I never wore it because I was afraid I'd lose it!! Of course I'll happily spend all my money on beads now, how times change! Definitely not one to frog, I'm going to be wearing this piece from now on ;)

First goal reached

I just finished a spiral rope necklace using those yummy reddish seed beads I posted about here. So, without further ado, here is my new necklace:



It looks slightly odd and lumpy to me, but it looks OK on. I don't think it's bad for a first attempt, anyway:



For my next goal, I was wondering about somehow making a flower using seed beads, as I have a challenge to complete for an online group, and the theme is 'flowers'. So, if anyone has any easy patterns/techniques that would fit the bill, I'd love to hear/read them.

Seed bead inspiration, please!

OK, so I have attempted to work with seed beads before, and have had limited success. But after seeing the gorgeous creations on this blog, I want to give them another go. And I found these beauties in my stash, just begging to be used for...something:


The beads are size 9/0 (apparently) and are a delicious shade of reddish-pink. They're making me think of summer berries, and raspberry ripple ice cream. :D

I need a simple-ish beginner's project really - maybe beaded beads? I would also love to be able to make a pendant from a ring like the ones used in Sarah's gorgeous necklace:



I thought I could make one of those rings and use it as a pendant, or make two smaller ones for earrings. Is it too complicated? What is that stitch even called?

See, I need your help, follower bead stash busters. :D Please suggest some nice, simple seed beads projects I could try. Thanks in advance!

Blue Bead Challenge

So, I've been thinking about how to start tackling my bead stash. I'm a seed bead lover at heart, so in some ways, although I have a large selection of beads to choose from whenever I want to start a new project, my stash doesn't take up a huge amount of room in the house. And, so, I never feel guilty about buying more beads and stashing them away until I have time to sit down and create.

But....my bead box is starting to get a little full and before I know it I won't be able to fit the lid on. I had best start teackling my bead stash!

Yesterday, I decided that I'd like a summer necklace that will work well with my summer 'uniforms' of navy, linen trousers and a white shirt, or jeans, tank top and jacket.

I had a good old rummage in my bead box and came up with two tubes of seed beads in aqua/teal and fourteen teal glass beads left over from my Wire Wrapped Daisy Bracelet Tutorial.

I'll be back at the end of the month to show you what I've made. The challenge is on!

4th Goal completed...sort of (Liz)

The instructions for these beads are brilliant and they're really easy to make, but due to their small size they're incredibly fiddly! I can see why rubber tubing is used in the project now, they look great while on the straw but once you take them off they collapse. So I popped a couple of size 6 beads inside them to hold them in shape and added some silver Greek ceramic washers to keep them from sliding over the Swarovski crystals. This scuppered my plans to make a bracelet as I don't have enough washers so I decided to make just two beads and create a pair of earrings. As you can see I didn't use very much of my bead stash but at least I've made some use of the magazine!

4th Goal (Liz)

Time to choose my next goal and I thought it was time that I made a start on those magazine back issues. Dragging the huge plastic box from under my bed, I stuck my hand in, closed my eyes and randomly picked out a magazine - out came the Feb 2007 issue of Bead & Button.

I've chosen to have a go at this Beads Cubed project designed by Marissa McConnell - I love to make beaded beads so this is right up my street! I've never made square ones before so this will be interesting and something new for me. I won't be using rubber tubing but I've got a few ideas on using the beads in this project to make a bracelet.

3rd Goal Completed (Liz)

Here's my finished bangle...well I'm calling it finished anyway! I had some problems getting my needle through to add the corner beads so I've only done this on the bottom row and left the top as it is. But I love my punky bangle and have called it Greenday :)

2nd Goal Completed (Liz)

I had a lot of fun making this lariat and I'm really pleased with how it turned out! The stitch is incredibly easy to learn and definitely one I'll be using again in my work.



And here's what I've chosen for my 3rd goal, again from issue 21 of Bead magazine and again designed by Jean Power. I thought this bangle looked really punky!


I don't have a whole lot of dagger beads, most of what I do have came included in bead mixes. While I love the shape I never really know what to do with them apart from adding them to the end of fringes. I've had these emerald AB daggers for several years and found the colour tricky to pair up with any of my other beads, but they seemed destined to go with these mint Matsuno seed beads that I bought recently!