- 15/0 seed beads Toho "Bright Bronze" (221)
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Bright Bronze" (221)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Bright Bronze" (221)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Saturated Metallic Dusty Cedar"
- SuperDuo beads "Vega on Jet"
The pattern that I used to make this is from a beading book called "Stitching with Two-Hole Shaped Beads" by Virginia Jensen. You can buy her book on Amazon HERE. The full name of the pattern is "Square with SuperDuo Ruffle Bracelet". As far as I know, there is no separate pattern available for this bracelet.
The pattern is made using two needles but I came up with a way of making it with one needle. As I've mentioned many times before, I don't enjoy working with two needles and most of the time it's not necessary.
A more obvious change that I made was that I used 7mm round cabochon beads instead of CzechMates tile beads. As you can see, they work great.
Another not-so-obvious tweak was that I added a 15/0 seed bead between each "ruffle". I think they give it a more finished appearance and they also help keep the SuperDuo "ruffles" from curling.
I've made two of these bracelets; one with Toho seed beads and one with Miyuki beads. Both brands work equally well. The pattern calls for two yards of thread but it took about 3 1/2 yards to make my bracelets. That may be due to the one-needle method that I used or possibly because I always reinforce my work more than most patterns suggest.
You can buy the CzechMates cabochons at Red Panda HERE.
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Pacifica Ginger"
- 4mm druks "Dark Beige"
Although I'm calling this design "Diamond Chain", I didn't actually follow a pattern. I simply connected the various beads with diamond-shaped seed bead "links" and used Right Angle Weave for the druk motifs. The different components can be arranged in any configuration and other kinds of beads can be added as well.
I recently saw some pretty blue and silver earrings on Pinterest but had to do a bit of detective work to figure out who made them. I could see that they are a variation of Ellad2's "Tara Earrings" pattern but they were made with Silky beads instead of 2-hole cabochons. However, the link from Pinterest didn't go anywhere. Well, it took me to my own Facebook page which was useless. There was a logo in the corner of the photo but I didn't have any luck searching for A*R*Y and I couldn't read the text below that because it was so tiny. I've worked out what that says as you will see.
I somehow managed to back-track through Pinterest to a version of the pin that had what I thought might be the name of the original pinner but it was only a hunch. I did a Google search for her name and got a link to THIS Etsy shop that is no longer open. The shop is owned by Aranka Radácsi and is called Gyongystudio. I knew that the earrings were her work because her photo on Etsy has the same logo on it - A*R*Y. I eventually found her Pinterest board HERE but she doesn't have any of her own beadwork pinned there. However, I also found her Facebook page HERE and she has a few photos of her lovely beadwork posted there including the blue and silver earrings which you can see HERE. It's a much larger photo than the one going around on Pinterest and the text below the logo is readable. It says "Gyongystudio".
You've probably guessed that I really like Ella's "Tara" earrings since I've blogged about them so many times. I have a lot of Silky beads in my stash so I was eager to try making the Silky bead version. I followed Ella's "Tara" pattern pretty much as it is with a few changes that come after the initial foundation of beads is made. I ended up leaving off the extra seed bead embellishment that Aranka Radácsi added to the corners but I only used four 8/0 beads in the center like she did. Tara has eight beads in the center. Aranka Radácsi also changed the spot where the 15/0 seed bead netting connects with the outer perimeter. This change allows the netting to align with the bumps in the middle of the Silky beads. It does look very nice that way but I used eight 15/0 beads in each strand instead of six like Aranka Radácsi used. My guess is that she used Toho seed beads because six wasn't enough with Miyuki beads.
Although these earrings are made pretty much like Ella's pattern, I think they look quite different than the original Tara earrings. Below you can see one of the original Tara earrings next to one made using Aranka Radácsi's changes as well as one that I made with the new 7mm 2-hole cabochons. The original version, which is made with 6mm 2-hole cabochons, is slightly smaller than the other two.
You can buy Ella's "Tara Earrings" pattern in her Etsy shop HERE.
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- Silky beads "Green Blue Luster"
- 2-hole Crescent beads "Turquoise Bronze Picasso"
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- Silky beads "Chalk Lazure Blue"
- 2-hole Crescent beads "Metallic Suede Gold"
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Metallic Chocolate" (461)
- Silky beads "Ashen Grey Terracotta Red"
- 2-hole Crescent beads "Saturated Metallic Khaki"
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Nickel Plated" (190)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Nickel Plated" (190)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Nickel Plated" (711)
- Silky beads "Terracotta Red"
- 2-hole Crescent beads "Milky Amethyst Luster"
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
- Silky beads "Pastel Montana Blue"
- 2-hole Crescent beads "Matte Brown Iris"
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
- Silky beads "Jade Red Luster"
- 2-hole Crescent beads "Oxidized Bronze Chartreuse"
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
- Silky beads "Alabaster Vega Luster"
- 2-hole Crescent beads "Oxidized Bronze Berry"
SUPERDUO FLOWER CHAIN
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Bright Bronze" (221)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Bright Bronze" (221)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Pacifica Macadamia"
- SuperDuo beads "Chocolate White Luster"
The colors that I used to make today's bracelet sound like a tasty treat, don't they? You can download my free "SuperDuo Flower Chain" bracelet pattern from THIS post. Red Panda has the CzechMates cabochons HERE.
I don't know if you're aware of this, but every Friday I browse over 100 Etsy shops looking for new beading patterns to pin on my "Beadwork by Others" Pinterest board. I also visit nearly 100 YouTube channels to check for new beading tutorials which I also pin on Pinterest under "Beading Video Tutorials". So, if you want to see the latest beading patterns and video tutorials by a wide variety of designers from the beading community, visit my Pinterest boards HERE.
SUPERDUO FLOWER CHAIN
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Light Bronze" (457L)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Matte Jet"
- SuperDuo beads "Tweedy Gold"
Today's bracelet is another one where I substituted 7mm cabochons for the chain links motif that normally go between the flower motifs. I think that these may be some of those fatter SuperDuos because this bracelet came out shorter than the other two that I've made with these cabochons.
You can download my free "SuperDuo Flower Chain" bracelet pattern from THIS post. Red Panda has the CzechMates cabochons HERE.
As I promised on Thursday, below are the "Roulette Bracelet" samples from my experiments. Read yesterday's post, HERE, for information about what I tried with each of them.
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Metallic Bronze Antique Gold" (225)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Metallic Bronze Antique Gold" (225)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Metallic Suede Gold"
- Twin beads "Khaki Pearl"
As you can see, these Twin beads don't look much like regular SuperDuo beads. They don't have the characteristic bump in the middle and they are very irregularly shaped.
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Metallic Bronze Antique Gold" (225)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Metallic Bronze Antique Gold" (225)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Metallic Suede Gold"
- SuperDuo beads "Chalk Lazure Green"
The sample above was my first successful attempt at using 2.5x5mm SuperDuos with the "Roulette Bracelet" pattern.
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 6/0 seed beads Toho "Silver-Lined Amethyst" (26)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Matte Turquoise"
- SuperDuo beads "Jet"
I made the motif on the far left in the photo above the usual way and the cab is sitting on top of the motif instead of inside the hole. Ignore the center motif. I messed up on that one and there's one too many SuperDuos. The sample on the right has 6/0 seed beads instead of 8/0's. It's not very visible in the photo but the cab only sort of fits in the hole, it's very tight and the SuperDuos aren't sitting flat.
The four motifs below all came out great using 2.5x5mm SuperDuos and 8/0 seed beads. The bead lists refer to the samples from left to right.
SAMPLE 1:
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Opaque Luster Champagne"
- SuperDuo beads "Red Luster"
SAMPLE 2:
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Opaque Luster Champagne"
- SuperDuo beads "Opaque Violet White Luster"
SAMPLE 3:
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Luster Opaque White"
- SuperDuo beads "Metalust Lipstick Red"
SAMPLE 4:
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Metallic Suede Gold"
- SuperDuo beads "Pastel Montana Blue"
ROULETTE BRACELET
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Matte Metallic Flax"
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Pacifica Elderberry"
- SuperDuo beads "Matte Milky Amethyst"
- SuperDuo beads "Bronze Pale Gold"
I decided to alternate the colors of the motifs in this bracelet because I wasn't sure if I had enough of the gold SuperDuos. It turned out that I did but I'm glad that I made it this way. I think it would have looked a little boring with so much gold. Plus, I had SuperDuos in a color that's nearly identical to the Elderberry cabochons and this way I got to use those too.
I have good news about what I thought was a problem with SuperDuos that are 2.5x5mm vs the ones that are 2x5mm. It turns out that only certain colors are troublesome after I did some more experiments last night.
First I tried making a motif using Twin beads as someone suggested in a comment. I can safely say that the person who did the tutorial online definitely did not use Twin beads in the example photos. Twin beads have a completely different shape than regular SuperDuos. They're also a little smaller than real SuperDuos so the motif came out very tiny and the cabochon didn't fit in the hole at all.
Next I chose some SuperDuo beads at random that were labeled as 2.5x5mm. The motif came out perfect and it inspired me to try a few more tests!
Next I used a color that I knew I had tried before that didn't work. They're just plain opaque glossy black SuperDuos. Once again, the hole in the center of the motif was too small for the cabochon. So, I tried making a motif with 6/0 seed beads instead of 8/0 beads. That helped but the motif was still too wonky.
There were two or three other SuperDuo colors that I had tried before but I couldn't recall what they were. So, for my final experiments I chose four more colors that I know for a fact are 2.5x5mm because I got them from Red Panda. Every one of them made perfect motifs and the cabochons fit nicely in the holes.
I will try to take photos of all of these samples this afternoon. I will add the photos to Friday's post along with the bead color information.
You'll find the free "Roulette" bracelet tutorial HERE (link has been disabled for your safety). Read my previous post, HERE, for details about what I changed to make the pattern work with the 2-hole cabochons.
ROULETTE BRACELET
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Bronze Antique Gold" (225)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Bronze Antique Gold" (225)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Saturated Metallic Aurora Red"
- SuperDuo beads "Steel Blue Pearl Coat"
I don't work with red beads very often so I thought it would be fun to use these bold red cabochons to brighten up the dark teal SuperDuos.
You'll find the free bracelet tutorial HERE (Unfortunately, this pattern is no longer available). Read my previous post, HERE, for details about what I changed to make the pattern work with the 2-hole cabochons.
I did have a thought about how to possibly make the 2.5x5mm SuperDuos work. You might try using 6/0 seed beads as the original pattern directs instead of 8/0 beads. I think that should make the opening a bit larger. I don't think I've got any 6/0 beads to try but I will try them if I can find some.
ROULETTE BRACELET
- 11/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Luster Opaque White"
- SuperDuo beads "Turquoise" (2x5mm not 2.5x5mm)
I found this free tutorial on the Handmade Jewelry Club website HERE (link has been disabled for your protection). They call it "Turquoise Roulette". Although today's bracelet IS turquoise, I left off the "Turquoise" part of the name because it can be made in any color. The original pattern is made with 9mm pearls, 11/0 and 6/0 seed beads. They probably meant to say "8mm" pearls because I don't think they make 9mm pearls and they would be too big anyway. Another typo is where it says that you'll need 15/0 seed beads. There are no 15/0 beads mentioned in the tutorial. I've swapped out the 8mm pearls for 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons and they work perfectly. I used Toho seed beads and replaced the 6/0 bead that are called for with 8/0 beads. Miyuki seed beads don't work well for this because they're too small and they cause the motifs to pucker. I have to admit that I didn't follow the steps of the tutorial exactly but I don't see any reason why these substitute beads wouldn't work using their method. There's no need for the stopper bead that they mention in the first step because you will go through all of the beads to make a circle anyway.
After successfully making three of these bracelets, I ran into a big issue while trying to make a fourth one. After LOTS of experimenting, I've determined that it makes a difference which size SuperDuos you use. Oddly enough, I don't think I've ever run into a pattern where the size of the SuperDuos made such a noticeable difference in the outcome. The problem with this bracelet is that the fatter 2.5x5mm SuperDuos cause the hole in the center of the motif to come out too small to insert a cabochon. You MUST use SuperDuos that are 2x5mm. That silly half millimeter makes a huge difference. You can pretty much tell right away when you make the first ring of SuperDuos. The fatter ones don't want to sit neatly next to each other because their fat "bellies" are bumping into each other. I've used them to make my "SuperDuo Flower Chain" bracelets without any issues but there are only ten SuperDuos in those motifs instead of fourteen and there are no beads in the holes in the centers. Unfortunately, not all bead shops and sites list the size of their SuperDuos so you may have to just try what you have and see it they will work or not. One clue that you can look for is to see if the color code number on the label has the prefix "DUO" before the number. If it does, those beads are most likely the fatter 2.5x5mm SuperDuos. If you shop at Red Panda, Betsy has the two sizes listed in separate sections. I'm pretty sure that all of the SuperDuos from Aura Crystals are the thinner 2x5mm size or at least that's what it says on their site and it's also what is marked on all of the bags that I have in my stash that were bought from them.
I needed seven of these motifs to fit my 6-inch wrist and I used about 3 yards of Nymo D thread. It's a little loose on my wrist but it wouldn't have been long enough with only six motifs. The clasp loops that I made were my own idea. The tutorial doesn't offer any tips for attaching a clasp and they don't show any photos of the ends of the bracelet.
SUPERDUO FLOWER CHAIN
- 11/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Duracoat Pewter" (4222)
- 7mm CzechMates 2-hole cabochons "Matte Metallic Leather"
- SuperDuo beads "Crystal Grey Rainbow"
While looking through my pattern stash for ideas to make with the new 7mm cabochons, I got the idea to try replacing the connector motif in this bracelet with one of the cabs. I think it came out really cute. I think that these cabs are just the right size for this design. The original 6mm cabochons would be a little too small and the Candy beads are too big.
I've got plans to make a few more of these in other colorways. The SuperDuos and cabochons in today's bracelet are actually the same color even though they go by different names. They are a mixture of various shades of bronze and pewter.
You can download my free "SuperDuo Flower Chain" bracelet pattern from THIS post. Red Panda has the CzechMates cabochons in every color HERE.
