Tutorial for brick stitch sunflower earrings:

Materials needed:
beading needle
thread
(2) 8mm round beads (I used 8mm czech firepolished glass beads in Milky Dark Peridot)
11/0 seed beads (I used 3 different colors: Toho orange transparent-#10, yellow transparent-#12 and yellow opaque-#42)
8/0 seed beads in one color (I used citrine silver lined rainbow- #2032)
ear wires

thread the thread through 8mm round bead:

go down around the side of the 8mm and back up through the center, so that the thread is showing on the side of the 8mm bead:

do the same thing until you have thread showing on both sides of the bead. You may tie a knot at any time to make more secure. Also I usually do this a total of 4 times, so that there are two threads on each side of the bead:

now you have a base to attach your brick stitch to. Start with a row of 11/0 seed beads. pick up a bead, thread your needle under the side thread, then up the 11/0 seed bead again and tighten. continue on stitching one bead next to the other until the whole 8mm center bead is surrounded (I fit 14 11/0 orange transparent beads around an 8mm czech fire polished faceted bead). finish the row by connecting the last bead with the first:

next do a row of 8/0 seed beads. connect the last bead of the row with the first again, sometimes it is a bit tight:

the next step is really up to how you would like to embellish it...to add petals... when coming out of one of the 8/0 seed beads, I added 10 11/0 seed beads and then went down the next 8/0, then up the next, added 10 more and then down the next, I did this around the entire thing.

 then I did it again in between the first set of petals with a different shade of yellow:

to finish, I reinforced one of the center petals going around through the beads with the thread a few times (this is where the ear wire will be attached), then find a good place to tie off and finish as you would with your other beadwork pieces. attach ear wire...done!

I flipped flower so that the translucent petals were in front. Also, I think this would make a cute pin or even an ornament. It can be done around a larger bead to make a larger flower too.

Feel free to ask any questions.....

© 2008 Dalghouse beads / Marjorie Dalgarn, All rights reserved.