Anyone who has ever done much seed beading has probably made these Fringe Earrings. Though a project for the beginner, I still like making them and get compliments whenever I wear a pair. They are a helpful way to get started seed beading because they combine ladder stitch, brick stitch, and fringe. Therefore, you learn three important seed bead elements while making just one pair of earrings.
First, I must urge beginners to try to use beads that have nice size holes and are about the same size. You will need both bugle and seed beads for this projects, and I recommend using Japanese beads for both when starting out. You will need to go through the holes in these beads more than once, and therefore, it is important to have beads that allow you to do this. Once you get more experienced, you can learn the tricks to using Czech beads such as using a smaller needle or thread. But, why get frustrated on your first pair?
To make fringe earrings, you’ll need:
1/4 inch Japanese bugle beads
size 11 Japanese seed beads
nymo or silamide thread size A
*10 side drilled teardrop beads
scissors
2 ear hooks
round nosed pliers
*These beads aren’t required to make these earrings. However, I think they really add a lot. The teardrop beads I use are called "champagne" and have a cool, iridescent luster to them. I got mine from Copper Coyote, but again, most vendors who sell pressed Czech glass beads will carry a similar product.
1. Thread your needle with about 3 feat of thread that matches the color of your beads.
2. First, using 5 bugle beads, use the ladders stitch to create the first part of the earrings. Remember to keep a 6 inch tail of thread and to hold the bugles with your fingers as you stitch in order to keep gaps to a minimum.
3. With your thread coming out of the top of the last bugle bead you connected to your ladder, do a row of brick stitch across the ladder. If you use 5 bugles, you’ll have a row of 4 seed beads.
4. Continue doing brick back and forth across the top of the ladder for two more rows. The rows will automatically decrease until you have a triangle at the top and will end with 2 seed beads in your last row.
5. Now, you’re ready to make a loop at the top that your ear hook will go through. Add on 4 seed beads and go down through the seed bead next to the bead your thread is coming out of.
6. Since the ear hooks will be attached to this loop, you want it to be sure it is very secure. So, bring the needle up and down a few times through the beads to make it nice and secure. Finish this by coming down through the beads until you come out of the center bugle.
7. Now you’re ready for the fringe. I prefer starting in the middle when I want to do fringe that has the longest piece in the middle. There are all kinds of fringe variations, but if you want fringe like those pictured, follow the steps below.
When you use the side drilled teardrop beads, you need to make sure you don’t pull too tightly on your fringe, or the teardrop will be sideways instead of straight up and down. I usually adjust the fringe as I work in order to keep the teardrops nice and straight.
8. Add 3 seed beads, 1 bugle beads, 3 seed beads, and one teardrop.
9. Bring your need up through all the seed and bugle beads and continue going up through the middle bugle in your ladder so the teardrop is at the end of your first piece of fringe. (If you don’t have teardrops, you can also skip the teardrop and instead come up through all the beads except the last seed bead.)
10. Go down through the next bugle bead (I work right since I’m right handed).
11. Add another piece of fringe. I added 2 seed beads, 1 bugle, 2 seed beads, and one teardrop. Repeat step 9.
12. Go down through the last bugle bead and add 1 seed bead, 1 bugle, 1 seed bead, and 1 teardrop. Repeat step 9. Now you just need to add 2 more piece of fringe.
13. Thread your needle through the bugle beads until your thread is coming out of the bugle to the left of the middle bugle bead.
14. Repeat steps 11 through 12 for the last 2 pieces of fringe.
15. Finish this earring by threading the left over thread through beads. I also like to make a small over hand knot before slipping the thread through more beads and clipping it off. Do the same with your tail.
16. Use round nosed pliers to open the loop in your ear hook.
17. Slip on the beaded loop at the top of your earring into the loop of the hook, and use round nosed pliers to close the ear hook loop.
18. Repeat all steps (1-17) to create a matching earring so you have a pair.
For the earrings pictured, I used Japanese size 11 dark amethyst rainbow seed beads, (from Copper Coyote), ¼ inch rainbow purple bugle beads (from Fire Mountain), and pressed glass champagne teardrop (also from Copper Coyote).
You can make these earrings larger by just using more beads. Here’s a pair I made using a ladder with 7 instead of 5 bugle beads.
The number used just needs to be an odd number, not an even number. The larger your ladder, the larger your earrings. You can add a different look to these earrings by using larger bugles (which will also make the earrings larger). Also use 2 or 3mm Czech crystal beads a the ends of the fringe instead of teardrops.
Need beading supplies? You'll find a long list of links under the Beading Supplies area of this site.
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