Last week I purchased some gorgeous lampwork beads from fellow AJE writer, Sue Kennedy, of SueBeads. I couldn't wait to get started, once they arrived. I made these earrings right away and today I'm going to show you how I did them.
Materials:
1 pair of earwires
About 8-10 inches of 20 gauge wire
1 pair lampwork beads (These are from SueBeads)
I pair of ceramic charms (These were made by me)
About 8 inches of sari silk, ribbon or fabric
Bead caps to fit the lampwork beads.
Tools:
2 flat nose or half round pliers
1 pair round nose pliers
Cutters
1. Cut the wire in half. Take one of the wire pieces and begin making a wrapped loop at the widest end of your round nose pliers.
2. Slide the ceramic charm onto the wire and complete the wrapped loop with just one complete wrap. Cut the excess wrapped wire and pinch it down with your pliers.
3. Cut the length of sari silk or ribbon in half. Some people prefer the sari silk to have a very rustic, frayed appearance. Others like it a bit tamer. I'm in the latter group, so at this point, I trimmed the frayed sides a bit. Still frayed, but a bit neater. Go for whatever look you like best.
4. Poke one end of a piece through the wire about a quarter of an inch in from the end. You can leave it a bit longer if you prefer and then trim it to your liking once the earring is complete. If you have trouble poking the wire through the fabric, cut the tip of the wire at an angle, to give it a sharper, narrower end.
5. Slide the ribbon up toward the top of the wire. You are basically going to fan-fold it now. So fold the ribbon over and punch it through the wire again. Now fold it back the other way and punch through once more. When you are done, you will have 2 folds and the sari silk will have been pierced 3 times through the wire. Trim the remaining end of the sari silk.
6. Slide one of the lampwork beads onto the wire and then place the bead cap on the wire and slide it down onto the bead.
7. Gently snug all the components together and make a wrapped loop. Attach the earwire and repeat for the other earring. If you wish, you can put a little FrayCheck on the ends of the sari silk, to prevent them from fraying near the wire.
8. Insert earwires in your ears. Go forth and look amazing!
About 8-10 inches of 20 gauge wire
1 pair lampwork beads (These are from SueBeads)
I pair of ceramic charms (These were made by me)
About 8 inches of sari silk, ribbon or fabric
Bead caps to fit the lampwork beads.
2 flat nose or half round pliers
1 pair round nose pliers
Cutters
1. Cut the wire in half. Take one of the wire pieces and begin making a wrapped loop at the widest end of your round nose pliers.
2. Slide the ceramic charm onto the wire and complete the wrapped loop with just one complete wrap. Cut the excess wrapped wire and pinch it down with your pliers.
4. Poke one end of a piece through the wire about a quarter of an inch in from the end. You can leave it a bit longer if you prefer and then trim it to your liking once the earring is complete. If you have trouble poking the wire through the fabric, cut the tip of the wire at an angle, to give it a sharper, narrower end.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing how you put these together! The bit of ribbon really adds to the design.
ReplyDeleteI bought those same beads from Sue. Your green ceramics look great with them. Like minds!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. I have all the components sitting in drawers, so I think I'll give it a try. Thanks, Linda.
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you! I have never worked fabric with the technique you used. That is a wonderful piece of information. Am I okay to use that since it was in a tutorial, or not? Thank you for taking the time to write this. I appreciate the work ALL of you do.
ReplyDeleteNorbel (& anyone else), go ahead and use this idea. I appreciate very much, being asked, but I put this out there for people to use. Try it with your own color combos etc. I love the look that sari silk & other textiles bring to jewelry design.
ReplyDeleteGreat earrings, Linda, and what a smart technique with the sari ribbon. I've always just tied them on, but these will certainly stay put! (P.S. Your beads and Susan's lampwork make a delightful combination!)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the inspiration! Of course, you have been inspiring me all the way along with your uses of silk. In fact, it was after I bought a pair of earrings from you that I tried some in a couple necklaces.
ReplyDelete