Welcome back to A Jeweler’s Life and The Alluring Bead Boutique.
Today I am sharing the steps I used to finish our Brick Stitch on a Frame sample, into an gorgeous pair of Boho Hoop Earrings.
Start out by making two of the beaded components and head back here to finish the project along with me.
In the first parts of the tutorial we learned how to substitute a closed wire component for a thread bridge as we add rounds of Brick Stitch to the frame.
We worked on keeping the thread tension even and to keep the beads on a flat plane around the frame.
In this portion of the tutorial. we are going to embellish the bottom of our bead work and add a beaded bail at the top to attach an earring finding.
Tools and Materials
I have listed all the materials used for this tutorial and have included my affiliate links, where available.
A few items are from Fusion Beads and Joann’s and I added the links as well for your convenience.
Additional Materials for Earrings
- 6 mm Czech Glass Tile Beads – 2 hole – Turquoise Picasso
- 14 – 2 mm Hematite Cube Beads – Aqua Luster Green (Michaels)
- 5 x 16 mm 2 hole Czech Glass Dagger Beads – Turquoise Picasso
- 2 – Jump Rings and Earring Findings of your choice – I used Antique Brass findings.
The materials listed above, are used to make the base components, but we will also use them in the embellishments.
To the right, are additional materials I used for the earrings.
I can no longer find the hematite cube beads I use in the embellishments, but you can substitute another 2 mm cube bead or any 2 mm bead of your choice.
Centering the Tile Bead Embellishments
In part 2, Adding Variations to Brick Stitch on a Frame, I added an 8/0 Turquoise bead as my last bead, before closing the round.
By doing this, I gave myself a center line, that I use to line up the center tile bead of the lower embellishments.
As you can see, the center tile bead lines up under the two 8/0 beads where my needle is centered.
However, I need to sew that tile bead to the bead work, using the three 11/0 seed beads on the outside row.
When we left off, in Part 3 – Adding the Inner Row, we had just added the last bead, and closed the bead work by connecting the last bead to the first bead of the round.
Getting into Position
Sew down through the 15/0 next to the bead that your working thread is exiting, plus the 8/0 bead below.
Positioning the Center Tile Bead
Move up and down through the 8/0 beads until you reach the pair on the center line found above.
In my case, I was on a down bead when I reached the center pair.
I had to stitch up into the second bead of the pair on the left. Next I stitched through the 11/0 seed bead on the far left side of the three in my center.
So now I will sew back to the right as I add the center tile bead.
Pick up a tile bead and let it fall to the base row below.
Position the tile over the center pair of 8/0 beads and sew down through the second hole of the tile, plus the 11/0 and 8/0 seed beads below.
Due to the way my center lined up, I skipped over one 11/0 and sewed through the next, plus the second 8/0 of the pair on my center line.
Adding the Remaining Tiles
Next we will add three more tiles on each side of the center tile. It does not matter which side you work on first.
Stitch back up the next 8/0 bead and the 11/0 above.
To add the remaining tiles, you can stitch through the 11/0 seed beads.
Decide for yourself, how many tiles you want to add. Just make sure you add the same number on both sides of the center tile. I added 7 total.
After you add the tiles to one side of the center bead, you can move back to the other side of the bead work using the 8/0 beads, as they are easier to stitch through.
To get into position to add the additional beads, we need to sew down into an 8/0 after adding the last tile bead.
Sew back up the 8/0 that is closest to the outer edge of the last tile bead added.
Sew up through the 11/0 and the outside hole of the last tile bead.
I flipped my work again to sew in my preferred direction.
The Accent Beads
Pick up an 11/0 seed bead, 2 cubes and an 11/0.
Pass down the next hole of the tile bead
Sew up into the next tile bead.
Repeat the steps above to add the same bead sequence at the top of each tile bead.
After adding the last bead sequence to the final tile on the row, pass the needle through the 11/0 under the tile you are exiting.
Sew back up the next 11/0 bead.
Sew up through the outer hole of the tile bead plus to bead directly above.
The working thread should exit from the cube on the outside edge.
Pick up 15/0 – 11/0 – 15/0 and pass down the 3 beads to the right.
Sew up through the next tile, 11/0 and cube beads.
Pick up two 15/0’s and 11/0 and two 15/0’s.
Pass down the other side, making sure not to skip any of the three beads.
Sew up to the top of the next set.
This time, pick up a 15/0 – 11/0 – 8/0 – 11/0 – 15/0 and pass down through the next three beads on the base.
Sew up into the next three beads.
Pick up 15/0 – 11/0 Dagger (top hole) – 11/0 – 15/0 and pass down the three beads on the other side.
Step up through the next three beads.
Now reverse the pattern so that you have the mirror image on the far side of the center tile.
For the fifth tile:
- Pick up a 15/0 – 11/0 – 8/0 – 11/0 – 15/0 and pass down through the next three beads on the base.
- Sew up into the next three beads.
For the sixth tile:
- Pick up two 15/0’s and 11/0 and two 15/0’s.
- Pass down the other side, making sure not to skip any of the three beads.
- Sew up to the top of the next set.
For the seventh tile:
- Pick up 15/0 – 11/0 – 15/0 and pass down the 3 beads to the right.
Embellishing the Dagger
Now we need to sew back through the beads until the working thread exits one of the 15/0 beads on the side of the dagger bead.
Do not sew through the dagger, just come straight up through the bead along the side
Pick up three 15/0 beads and sew through the lower hole of the dagger.
Pick up three more 15/0 beads and sew down through the beads along this side, including the tile bead below.
This is what your work should look like at this point.
Now we just need to sew back up around the frame to reach our 8/0 at the top outer edge.
Sew down the 11/0 and 8/0 under the tile.
Move through the 8/0 beads to the top of the bead work.
Move up through an 11/0 and the 8/0 bead to get into position to add the three bail beads.
The Accent Beads
Pick up an 11/0 – 8/0 – 11/0 and pass back down through the same 8/0 on the base.
Pass through one of the 8/0 beads below.
Step back up through an 8/0 beside the bead you are exiting.
Sew back up through the 8/0 and the 11/0 as shown.
Sew across the 8/0 seed bead.
Sew back down through the 11/0 and the next two 8/0 beads.
Weave the thread up and down through the 8/0 row on the base to secure the thread before ending it.
Thread a jump ring through the 8/0 bead at the top of the bail.
Add the earring finding to the jump ring.
Use your chain nose pliers to securely close both findings.
I hope you have enjoyed this project and love wearing your Beautiful Boho Hoop Earrings.
