Introduction: Fireball Drop Earrings
These earrings are made from beaded beads/balls joined together. In this Instructable (by first btw) I will be running through how to make and join these balls so you can make a pair of my very own Fireball Drop Earrings.
I'm using a colour theme that symbolises FIRE!
Thanks for taking interest in my design :)
Step 1: Gather Up Your Supplies
You're going to need: Beading thread/Fishing line; Beads (Your choice of colour and size. I'm using size 8 red, orange, yellow and white seed beads); Earring hooks; Scissors and Round nose pliers; not pictured, but important: head pins/wire to make eye pins/jump-rings
Step 2: Start Beading
You're going to want to have quite a long piece of line or thread, obviously depending on how big your beads are and how long you want to make the "chain" of balls.
Cut the thread and string four beads on.
Add a fifth bead.
The fifth bead closes a loop. Keep the bead separate from the rest. Hold the bead and string the other end of the thread back through the bead (if you strung your bead on the right, take the left side of the thread and string it through the bead in the opposite direction). Pull taught, trying to keep the loop in the centre.
Step 3: More Bead Loops
Onto the right side of the string, string four beads, using the last to, again, make a loop.
String your now left string through the next bead on the left (the bead that's parallel to the last bead NOT the next bead in the loop.)
Add 3 beads onto the right string and pass the left through the last bead strung to make yet another bead loop *sigh*
Step 4: Halfway There
Well, almost. By the end of this step you'll have completed half of one beaded ball.
Continue to follow the last two instructions from step 3 until you have something that looks like mine (4 loops connected to the central one. Looks like there's one missing from the top, you know) you will have completed these instructions 3 times
At this point, you need to string your left thread through the TWO beads on the left (it should be clear to see which ones as they should all be pointing in the same direction).
On the right, string two beads and finish the final loop (for this half, anyway) with the last bead.
You now have half a beaded ball :)
Step 5: Don't Give Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQSHjbrcEeA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
^ If you're getting muddled, puzzled and confuzzled by my method, check beadaholique's one out :)
Step 6: Starting the Next Half
You can change colours here if you want.
String your left thread through the next left bead (this is getting excessive, bear with me). Add three beads on your right thread and complete the loop (sorry)
Now, with your left thread, string the next two beads on the left and, with your right thread, add two more beads and complete the loop. Do this THREE times.
Pictured is what it should look like (if you can see anything)
Step 7: Finishing the First Beaded Ball
Finally! Whew!
This step looks a little different. Take your left thread and pass it through the next TWO beads to the left.
String one bead on the right and pass the left string through it on the opposite side to close the loop.
There is one final loop that is not reinforced. It's the one that is adjacent to the loop you just finished (it will be above or maybe below the loop you just finished). You should be able to see it. To reinforce it and finish the beaded ball, thread your right string through three of the beads closest to it and thread the left through two.
You now have one ball done. Yay :)
Step 8: Making the Connection
The final loop of the first ball will act as the first loop of the second ball. This is how they connect.
This is also where I will be changing colours.
Using the final loop as your starting loop, bead another beaded ball.
Continue to bead the balls until you're happy with the length
Step 9: Finishing Touches
Tie the ends of the thread and trim.
Stick a headpin in the bottom of your piece all the way through to the top. Use your pliers to create a loop at the top and connect either directly to the earring hook or to a jump ring which you then connect. If you don't have a pin long enough, use wire to make an eye pin. I decorated mine with an extra red bead.
Thanks for reading and if you try it out, don't be shy; show it off in the comments :)