Russian Leaf Earring Samples - Pink & Aqua

Left Sample:

• 8/0 seed beads Toho "Nickel Plated" (711)
• 11/0 Miyuki Delica beads "Nickel Plated" (DB21)
• 11/0 Miyuki Delica beads "Galvanized Matte Pink Blush" (DB1166)
• 11/0 Miyuki Delica beads "Opaque Glazed Luster Teal" (DB264)

Right Sample:

• 8/0 seed beads Toho "Nickel Plated" (711)
• 11/0 Miyuki Delica beads "Nickel Plated" (DB21)
• 11/0 Miyuki Delica beads "Galvanized Matte Pink Blush" (DB1166)
• 11/0 Miyuki Delica beads "Matte Opaque Sea Foam Glazed Luster" (DB374)

This time I was just experimenting with different colorways. I think these are pretty but I'm not sure if I like them well enough to make any final pairs.

Click HERE to watch Jill Wiseman's video tutorial. Click HERE to go to Saturday's post to download the free color chart for the design that I used on these earrings.

UPDATE: HERE is a link to an excellent animated video tutorial for making Russian Leaf earrings almost exactly the way that I make mine. They make the same number of rows as I do but they do the top loop a little differently. They don't show anything about reinforcing the edges so I do recommend my method below for doing that.

I'm hoping that you've been making some Russian Leaf earrings. If so, I thought perhaps you'd be interested in the routine that I follow each time I make these. Here is what I do:

1. I do Jill's tutorial up to the point where I've woven my thread up to the top right side of the earring in preparation for connecting to two sides at the top. My thread is exiting the last main color bead at the top (not the accent bead).

2. I pick up a regular 8/0 seed bead then cross over and go through the last main color Delica on the other side of the earring.

3. Now I go through the last accent bead at the top on that side, going toward the center of the earring. I continue on through the last accent bead on the other side at the top. Now I weave back around this circle of five beads two or three more times to reinforce the 8/0 bead. When I'm doing doing this, I exit through the top main color bead on the left side of the earring (the one just after the 8/0 bead).

4. I go on through the next main color bead and the next one after that which is nearest the hole in the center of the earring. Now I start my reinforcing routine which gives the earrings more structure. I weave around the center perimeter going only through the main color beads along that edge and gently pulling the beads closer together as if I'm pulling a drawstring. Don't pull too hard. I just gently tug on the thread every few beads as I go along. When I reach the bottom of the center hole, I have to do a little weaving around through some of the beads to make my way back up to the inner edge on the other side of the earring. I continue along the same way that I did the other side. I exit from one of the main color beads near the third accent bead from the top on that side.

5. Now I work my way to the nearest "sticky outie" main color Delica on the outer edge of the earring. I flip the earring over so that I'll be working from the back side. This helps keep any thread from showing as I weave my way around the outer edge to reinforce it. I weave as close as I can to the outer edge without going through any accent beads as I gently draw the beads closer together while shaping the earring into a gentle curved mound with my fingers. The exception to the accent bead rule is what I do when I reach the bottom point of the earring. At this point I exit through the last accent bead just before the bottom point of the earring.

6. To help bring those loose beads at the bottom into a more organized point, I go on through the next main color Delica and then go through the accent bead at the very bottom center. Now I go up through the next main color and accent bead on the other side of the earring. I gently pull these point beads close together. I think that doing this gives the bottom a neater appearance.

7. I go on through the next main color bead then weave along the outer edge on this side in the same way that I did the first side. You won't always be able to stay very close to the edge but just keep working your way as close to the edge as you can get until you reach the top of the earring. I weave in the thread, cut and I'm done.

It sounds like a lot of steps but all of this really only takes a few minutes and it's worth the trouble to do it.