Free Instructions: Rainbow Fringe Earrings

Use brick stitch and fringe techniques to make these striking rainbow earrings, the perfect project for International Beading Week!

Materials Needed:

Opaque 11/0 Seed Beads Red (O1111)

Opaque 11/0 Seed Beads Orange (O1121)

Opaque 11/0 Seed Beads Yellow (O1115)

Opaque 11/0 Seed Beads Green (O1116)

Opaque 11/0 Seed Beads Turquoise (O1118)

Opaque 11/0 Seed Beads Lilac (O1136)

Opaque 11/0 Seed Beads Cobalt (O1142)

Earwires Gold Plated (LBWGP)

Tools Required:

Size 10 Beading Needle (ND10)

Your favourite beading thread (we used Nymo NMD11)

Bading Mat (BMT)

A sharp pair of Scissors (SCIMX)

A pair of Chain Nosed Pliers (BEDCN)

Instructions:

Thread your needle with 1m of stretched beading thread. Leaving a 15cm tail pick up 2 red and 2 orange seed beads. Circle round to pass back through the red seed beads to stack them next to each other. Then pass back down the 2 orange seed beads.

2. Pick up 2 yellow seed beads, circle round and pass down the orange seed beads to stack next to each other. Then pass back up through the yellow seed beads.

3. Repeat the above process to add 2 green, 2 turquoise, 2 lilac and 2 cobalt seed beads. Pass back up through the 2 lilac seed beads.

4. Pick up lilac seed bead and a turquoise seed bead, pass your needle under the bridging thread between the stack of turquoise and lilac beads below, pass up through the lilace bead, down through the turquoise beads, back under the briding thread and finally back up through the turquoise bead.

5. Pick up a green seed bead, pass under the bridging thread between green and turquoise and back up through the green seed bead.

6. Continue along the row to add the rest of the colours finishing with red. Repeat the steps 4 at the start of the row, then 5, following the chart below to complete the triangle of beads. Once you have added the red and orange row, pick up 1 red and pass down through the orange, up through the red and back through the new red bead.

7. Pick up 5 red seed beads, circle round and pass back through the seed bead your thread started from. Weave around this circle again, then weave all the way down the outside beads to exit the cobalt stack.

8. Pick up 30 cobalt seed beads, skip the last bead and pass back through all of the new beads and the cobalt stack of 2. Adjust your thread and beads so that they sit nicely, too loose and you will see thread, too tight and the fringe will curl. Pass down through the stack of lilac beads.

9. Repeat step 8 to add the rest of the fringe as follows:

28 lilac seed beads,

26 turquoise seed beads,

24 green seed beads,

22 yellow seed beads

20 orange seed beads

18 red seed beads.

10. Weave in and secure your threads.

11. Open the loop on your ear wire with a pair of chain nosed pliers and pass through the loop of red seed beads and gently close the loop again. Repeat to make a second earring.

You're finished!