- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
- SuperDuo beads "Jet Matte"
- O-Beads "Jet Full Chrome"
During my weekly search for new beading videos last Friday, I came across THIS Spanish tutorial. The translation is "Drop Earrings with SuperDuos". The earrings are a little larger than I usually wear but I think they're very different and pretty. I should have been working on Christmas projects but my thought was that these might make a lovely gift for someone.
I took notes while watching the video but got a little confused near the end when she made the top component. I got the impression that one or more of the steps were skipped or mentioned so quickly in Spanish that I didn't catch them. I made a sample earring and thought I'd done everything as she instructed. However, I watched the video once more after making these and realized that I hadn't done the top section quite right. It looks fine but it's not quite the same as the ones in the video.
Here is my sample earring:
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- SuperDuo beads "Green Turquoise Dark Travertine"
- O-Beads "Metallic Mix"
Since it was my first experiment, I didn't worry about reinforcing the stitching. As a result, the earring is much too soft and doesn't hold its shape well. When I made the black pair, I used 6lb. FireLine and reinforced each step and pulled the beads nice and snug. The earrings are very stable and the bottom components hold their shape well. You'll need about 2 yards of thread per earring.
Other than my mistake with the top component, I only changed one other detail. It's the connection between the motifs. In the video, she doubles the connection for a 3D look. I tried that but didn't like how it looked. Besides, doing it her way means having to go through the 15/0 seed bead in the center of the "X" way too many times which could potentially cause problems.
When I have a chance, I'm going to try making some earrings using only the bottom component. I'm also thinking of combining two SuperDuo colors and see how that looks.
Lovely! This is pretty long earring, I think I'll do only the bottom component.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is long. That's why I used such a short earring hook. I don't mind how it looks, but the earring swinging against my neck takes getting used to.
DeleteI don't have a picture to show but I made the earrings with Mini duos. They worked out great and are a bit smaller.
DeleteThat's good to know about the MiniDuos.
DeleteHave you done a pattern for these or will you be planning to do one? I think I will like trying with miniduo on the top and bottom. I can’t follow YouTube very well, especially if it’s a different language and no English captions. But I really like the look! You are awesome!
DeleteI won't be publishing a pattern for these because it's someone else's design.
DeleteIk vind ze mooi en ga ze proberen te maken bedankt voor de tips
ReplyDeletegrt.Annemarie
Graag gedaan. Ik hoop dat je geniet van het maken van deze oorbellen, Annemarie.
DeleteHi there how many gram packets do you need to make these earings they are beautiful
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how many grams but I needed 124 SuperDuos.
DeleteCan you use 8 on each side to make them shorter.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that would work, Shirley. Doing so would change the shape of the earring.
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ReplyDeleteI still can't get it to work out right. Is some thing missing? I didn't use the 8mm beads just the 11's.
ReplyDeleteYou really need to use 8/0 seed beads where they are called for, Shirley.
DeleteThese earrings are beautiful. I don't speak Spanish and I found the video a little jerky and fast. Still I want to try these and see if I can do it.
ReplyDeleteHi Alora. It's been quite some time since I last watched the video so I don't remember if it was jerky for me or not. I had one year of Spanish in High School but I'm definitely not fluent enough to really follow the tutorial by what was said other than the bead names. Some people suggest turning off the sound when watching a tutorial in another language. You might try that.
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