Dawnmorningstar’s Weblog

Earrings made with a bugle bead foundation and with single seed beads in the top portion are the easiest to make, so that is what I will use to describe the basic technique.

Our first pair of earrings, Pattern 1, will be a little shorter, and therefore easier, than some we will do later on.  We will be using three colors of seed beads and also bugle beads in one of the three colors you chose for the seed beads.  I am going to be using seed beads in the colors of black, white, and silver, with 1/4″ black bugle beads.

One thing to keep in mind while beading is that you need a steady tension on the thread and beads so that the beadwork will lie flat and have a neat, even appearance.

Step 1:  The bottom section of the earring, consisting of the foundation and dangles, is beaded first.  Begin by putting about 48″ of waxed Nymo thread on a beading needle.  Place one bugle bead, the first in the foundation row, on the thread.  Notice that the needle is pointing toward you.

The loose tail end of the thread needs to be held tight, both to prevent beads from slipping off the end and to maintain the proper tension in the beadwork.  Leave about four inches at the end of the thread and hold it between the thumb and index finger.  A right-handed beader should use his or her left hand and a left-handed beader should use the right hand.

Now, if you start feeling like you’re all thumbs or that you don’t have enough fingers to hold everything then simply use the table to help you out.  After pushing the bugle bead to within 4″ of the end of the thread, lay the threaded bead down on the table and go on to Step 2, being sure that the needle comes out the bottom of the bugle bead.   We don’t have to worry about the tension until Step 2.  You should have plenty of thread to be able to move your needle around and string the next seed beads without the bugle bead sliding off the end of the thread.

I prefer to have the work lying on my worktable at this stage and for most of the process, which is also better for beginners.  Some people hold the work in their hands, but that makes for much more difficulty in the next steps.  When the work is lying on the table, you have both hands free to put your beads on the needle and to maintain the proper tension.  You should do whatever is comfortable for you.  Try both ways.