You Need to Make These Beaded Fringe Earrings
By Kelly Bryden
Due to our obsession with earrings and any type of jewelry, this might be one of our favorite days of#31DaysofDIY. Creating your own jewelry is a great skill to practice. A major plus to mastering this skill is that handmade jewelry is one of the best gifts to give and receive. For these earrings we were inspired by a maker named Kadhi. We saw her design, thought that it was extremely rad and knew we just had to make our own pair!
No idea what #31DaysofDIY is? It’s a brand new tradition here at Brit + Co that’s all about kicking off 2015 right. We’ve challenged ourselves to make or learn something new every single day for the month of January, and we’re inviting all of you along for the ride. From DIY basics like Sewing 101 to learning to design and laser cut our own stencils, we hope this month of making inspires you to make all year long.
Materials:
– seed beads in five different colors
– 14 long tube beads
– beading thread
– ½ diameter circle hoop
– ear wire
– 2 jump rings
– thin beading wire
Tools:
– scissors
– needle nose pliers
Instructions:
1. For each earring you will need a total of 7 strands of beading. The pattern is:
- String 1 and 7 – 7 white, 3 teal, 3 gray, 3 dark blue, gold tube, 3 dark gray, 3 teal, 7 white, teal, gold, dark blue
- String 2 and 6 - 9 white, 3 teal, 3 gray, 3 dark blue, gold tube, 3 dark gray, 3 teal, 9 white, teal, gold, dark blue
- String 3 and 5 - 11 white, 3 teal, 3 gray, 3 dark blue, gold tube, 3 dark gray, 3 teal, 11 white, teal, gold, dark blue
- String 4 - 13 white, 3 teal, 3 gray, 3 dark blue, gold tube, 3 dark gray, 3 teal, 13 white, teal, gold, dark blue
2. After stringing, tie a knot to secure the last dark blue bead onto the thread.
3. Using the beading wire wrap 12 seed beads onto the hoop. Every other wrap around the ring add a seed bead. This will give you room to tie on the strands of beads.
4. Tie strand one in-between the 3rd and 4th seed bead on the hoop. Trim the extra thread.
5. Tie all seven strands of beads onto the hoop.
6. Using jewelry pliers, open the jump ring and connect the ear wire to the beaded hoop.
7. Rock those fringe earrings girl!
Cut a good length of beading thread. Working with beading thread that is just as long as you need is a nightmare, so cut yourself some slack. Follow the pattern above and string seven strands of beads.
We chose to bead the longest one first. Hardest one’s done right? Time to bead six more! It’s tedious but WORTH IT!
To secure the end, tie a knot using the last blue bead as a stopper. Double knot the string to make sure it is secure.
Look at those little fringies! The toughest part is done. Time to assemble.
Cut a piece of jewelry wire and wrap it around your hoop. Add a seed bead every other time you create a wrap. This extra space will be helpful when you go to tie on your fringe pieces.
Tie the beaded fringe onto your hoop. Double, triple, quadruple knot that bad boy onto the hoop. We suggest even adding a dab of super glue to really secure the string in place.
Open your jump ring using your pliers and connect the ear wire to the beaded hoop. Close the jump ring tightly to keep everything together!
This earrings are perfect for any season. The white and teal is a great combo for winter. We suggest doing a lime and magenta pair for the warmer months ahead or spring break.
The best part about these earrings is how light they are!
