Seed Beads are very versatile beads that can be used in all types of jewelry design and also adorn clothing and household items such as lamp shades. Seed beads are also very cost effective to use so are very popular with amateur and professional bead makers alike, but what can you do with them, here are a few of the seed bead patterns ideas you can use to create your designs.
Bracelet Patterns
Seed bead bracelets are very popular with jewerly designers, beaded bracelets never go out of fashion and they can be worn by both men and women. As they are small and relatively easy to make seed bead bracelets are a good entry level for first time pattern designers.
Mapping out your design is important, you want to make sure it looks good and also that you have the right amount and style of beads for it. Drawing a pattern is a great way of getting a finalised design, you can also chop and change the colors so they work especially if you are designing a bracelet to match an outfit. Once you have settled on a design then you can start the threading process.
Necklace Patterns
Seed bead necklaces have many different styles to consider, they can be funky, sophisticated, long and short. Try designing a choker as a starter, these tend to be smaller than a traditional necklace and require fewer beads to create. They also have the added bonus of being very popular especially with youngsters. You can then progress onto more traditional patterns; if you start building confidence you can start using more expensive beads like gold and silver beads to create high quality necklaces. Once you have mastered these you can move onto multi layered designs using multiple threads creating three or four tier necklaces.
Earring Patterns
Seed bead earrings are more difficult to create then other jewelry designs. Even though you are not using as many materials as other types of jewelry they do require an intricate approach, a steady hand plus plenty of patience. Earring designs range from pear drop, circular, diamond shaped and quirky designs such as triangular and wavy. Making earrings have a similar approach to necklaces and bracelets but you are working with less thread, tying knots can be fiddly and you will need to use paste to secure the earring hooks. All been said you should have some stunning looking designs however.