New Necklace and Earrings

As the owner of a bead shop, I make a lot of projects featured in various beading magazines, so that customers can see the designs worked up (they often look so different than they do in the mags!) and get ideas about colors, etc. My latest necklace and earring set all started when I was working on one of these bracelets...

This particular bracelet, a right angle weave (RAW) design, was featured in the October - November, 2013 issue of Beadwork (yes, I'm a little behind on my to-do list!):

RAW bracelet featured in Oct-Nov 2013 Beadwork

 RAW bracelet featured in Oct-Nov 2013 Beadwork

I chose some very luxe-looking, opaque, turquoise and bronze 8mm Czech firepolish beads, and paired them with metallic bronze 3mm Czech firepolish beads, and just love the result. It's so rich-looking, and everyone who sees it just drools over it!

As I was working it up, I was intrigued by the zigzagging shape, and once I completed the 3rd RAW unit, I had a little V-shaped beaded unit in my hand that started my brain thinking about other design possibilities. By the time I had added the 4th and 5th units, I knew that I would be making a necklace from these units.

After completing the bracelet, I started stitching up 3-unit segments with this pattern, using the same beads. I finished by stitching one 5-unit segment.

I tried many different ways to connect these RAW units before hitting upon the one I finally went with: lustrous 12mm bronzite rounds. I then placed genuine turquoise rondelles at the back to complete the design, and chose a Vintaj Natural Brass S-hook and chain for the closure:

Turquoise and brown handwoven necklace by Sweet Freedom Designs

 

detail, Turquoise and brown handwoven necklace by Sweet Freedom Designs

closure, Turquoise and brown handwoven necklace by Sweet Freedom Designs

Then I stitched up a couple of one-unit segments for the earrings, adding the netting embellishment to both sides, so there's no "back" as the earrings sway and move:

Turquoise and bronze handwoven earrings by Sweet Freedom Designs

The necklace and earrings are available separately in my Etsy shop!

New Beadwoven Earrings: Celtic Stars

I fell in love with this basketweave design when I saw it on Backstory Beads back in early February, and immediately dashed off to purchase the Gwen Fisher tutorial. When I finally had time to try the pattern last week, I purposely didn't go back and look at Karin's post again, because I didn't want to be influenced by her always fantastic color choices!

The earrings are almost entirely 15/0s, but also call for a few matching 11/0s in each color choice, as well as 8/0s in one of the colors, so my color combos were limited by which colors I had all 3 sizes in, that also went well together!

For the first pair, I tried to summon Spring (it was 38 degrees outside on the morning I decided to stitch this pair):

Pastel pink, green, and purple basketweave/Celtic Star beadwoven earrings

I am not really a pastel person, so while these earrings are pretty, they just didn't do it for me, so I tried again:

Black, red, and gray Celtic Star Earrings

Of course, I absolutely LOVE this pair!

The design is created by stitching each individual color strip, and then weaving the 3 strips together, basketweave-style, before closing them. The resulting design reminds me of a Celtic Star!

Both pairs are available in my Etsy Shop; the pastel pair is here, and the black and red pair is here.

Note: Gwen's tutorial gives me permission to sell pieces I create from her tutorial.