Beading tutorial

Ieva Bambale@Shinkabeads 2018

 Leaf drop earrings
This tutorial will guide you step by step how to create earrings.
It is simple but needs patience to make. Use appropriate amount
and size of seed beads to make the earrings look good. Peyote
bead weaving stitch is used.
To make the tutorial easy to follow there is used black
thread BUT use transparent one if you don’t want to make the
thread stand out.
Use cylinder beads to make your earrings look neat and
pretty. See the sample of cylinder beads below to see the
difference. I use Miyuki Delica 11/0 seed beads (Aiko are not
available in my country and they are more expensive but Toho
Treasures don’t look as neat as the other two.)

Photo : http://www.lindaklandy.com/blog/2014/8/31/seed-bead-manufacturers-variations
 Materials
1) Two colors of Miyuki
Delica 11/0 seed beads
~4g of each
2) Transparent nylon
thread(fireline)
~195cm/76inch
3) Earring hooks(in the
sample sterling silver 925
earring hooks)

Tools
- Big eye beading needle
- Scissors
 To make the tutorial easier to follow the black nylon thread
is used and these two contrasting color beads.

1.Step
Begin by cutting the necessary length of the thread, it is comfortable to work
and finish earrings using 195cm / 76inch long. Put just the very end of the
thread through the needle and pick 8 beads of each color as shown in the
picture.
2.Step
Move the beads till the middle of the thread (hold both ends and let them slide
till the middle) and then make a knot (there are two made to avoid that it slides
shortening one end of the thread that could lead to the lack of the thread later).
3.Step
Move the needle through one color beads (suggested to decide which is going to
be the inner color to make it easier to join the earring into a drop), you get each
end of the thread opposite sides

4.Step
Take a bead of each color according to the colors of each side and move the
needle through the first bead of another color as shown in the picture.
5.Step
Take a bead in the same color of the side and move the needle through the bead
skipping one next to the thread as shown in the picture.

6.Step
Take a bead and move through the bead skipping one as shown in the picture.
7.Step
Take a bead and move through the bead skipping one as shown in the picture.

8.Step
Now move the needle (without a bead) through the second bead on the other
side’s color as shown in the picture. Keep the thread in front like over the beads
not behind.
9.Step
Take a bead in the same color of the side and move the needle through the bead
skipping one as shown in the picture.

10.Step
Take a bead and move through the bead skipping one as shown in the picture.
11.Step
Take a bead and move through the last two beads skipping one as shown in the
picture. You have finished the first row.

12.Step
To start the next row take a bead of each color and move the needle through the
first bead as shown in the picture.
13.Step
Take a bead in the same color of the side and move the needle through the bead
you added in the previous row as shown in the picture.

14.Step
Take a bead and move the needle through the next bead you added in the
previous row as shown in the picture.
15.Step
Take a bead and move the needle through the last bead you added in the
previous row as shown in the picture.

16.Step
Now move the needle (without a bead) through the bead you added in the
previous row on the other side’s color as shown in the picture. Keep the thread
in front like over the beads not behind. Pull the thread and fold together both
sides of each color, see pictures.
17./18.Step
Continue the row by picking a bead and moving the needle through the beads
you added in the previous row as shown in the pictures.

19.Step
To finish the second row take a bead and move the needle through the last two
beads as shown in the picture.
20.Step
Repeat steps 12-19 until you have 27 beads as shown in the picture, turn the
beaded peace and count.
21.Step
Make a knot or better two as shown in the picture to finish working with this
end of the thread BUT don’t cut it.

22.Step
Put the other end of the thread through the needle and move the needle through
the first bead as shown in the picture.
23.-25.Step
Take a bead and move the needle through the beads as shown in the pictures.
26.Step
This step is to make the turning point of the leaf drop. Take a bead of each color
according to the side of each color and move the needle through the other side’s
first bead as shown in the picture.
27.-29.Step
Take a bead and move the needle through the beads as shown in the pictures.
30.Step
Move the needle through the first two other colors beads as shown in the
picture.

31.-33.Step
Take a bead and move the needle through the beads as shown in the pictures.
34.Step
Take a bead of each color and move the needle through as shown in the picture.

35.-37.Step
Take a bead and move the needle through the beads as shown in the pictures.
38.Step
Now move the needle (without a bead) through the two beads on the other
side’s color as shown in the picture. Keep the thread in front like over the beads
not behind.
39.Step
Repeat steps 31.-38. until you can count 26 beads on the other side (one less as
for the first side because you join both sides)
40.Step
Make a knot or two as shown in the picture to fix the beads and avoid them to
become loose while joining both sides.

41.Step
Fold and keep the beaded peace as shown in the picture to make the joining
more comfortable and move the needle through the opposite side beads in turns
as shown in the picture and then pull the thread to move together.
42.Step
Carefully without loosening the joined side turn around and at the top move the
needle through the other color’s bead next to as shown in the picture.

43.Step
Move down moving needle through the opposite side beads and then come up to
the top to join the inner side, it will be a bit more difficult but practice makes
better.
 If you feel the leaf drop looks OK, then you can attach the earring hook
BUT I like to go down and up one more time the outside beads because
joining that side we didn’t join the drop’s inner beads and to make it look neat
and finished I suggest to do it as well. See the pictures.
44.Step
To attach the earring hook carefully take a bead of one side then an earring
hook and a bead of another side, position the correct direction (the drop can be
worn the other way, I prefer the inner color be visible at the bottom but if you
change the direction of the earring hook the inner color can be seen at the upper
part.

45.Step
Move the needle through the next bead down and then through the other color’s
bead next to up to the top as shown in the pictures.
46.Step
Move the needle through the earring hook’s loop so that the thread makes a
cross, this will make the hook be positioned so that the earring in the ear will
hang correctly instead of turning the other way.

Move the needle up and down through the beads and make the cross of the
thread through the loop two or three times to be sure the earring hook is
fastened and then move the needle through the beads to the other end of the
thread and make two or three knots to finish and cut the thread.
Enjoy the beading and dare to
play with colors!