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by: Lee Metsalo
We usually think of thread as one of the elements that holds a bead project together, but who says it can’t be the focal point? This pendant was created by using a bezel setting as the frame for string art, and adding a few embellishments.
When making the string art piece, you will need to maintain even tension throughout, start to finish. DON’T LET GO! If you let go, it all falls loose and sloppy and you get to start again. This only took me half an hour, but you need to plan accordingly.
I
found it easiest to unleash the end of the thread, tuck the
spool into a resealable bag, and feed the thread out of the
bag as you go – eliminate tangles. Start your string art by tying the thread around one point, securing with a few knots. I counted 18 points, and wrapped around that point. Go back to one to the right of where you started (number 2). Wrap around, go one to the right of your second point (number 19). Back to 3, back to 20, back to 4, back to 21 – you get the idea. Repeat until you’ve gone all the way around, or until you are happy with the design. Tie off the second end – keeping your tension. Put a dab of glue on each knot to secure, when the glue is dry, you can trim off the excess thread.While the glue is drying, you can assemble the rest of your pendant. The pearls and druks and a few seedbeads were strung in random patterns on headpins, with a closed loop on top. These were linked to a larger lavender bead on an eyepin, in turn linked to the bottom of the pendant.
Add a jump ring to the top of the pendant to make sure it sits flat once you string it to the rest of the necklace.
String the necklace. In this case, I cut about a metre of softflex to start, as I hadn’t decided at that point how long the necklace was to be. I started with the pendant, put a few druks and pearls in front, and strung up both sides simultaneously. The seed bead groups started as 11 beads, and I increased two beads in each section the further up the back I went. This necklace talked to me in matching sides, but random patterns work too. Every once in awhile I would use the bead stopper on the ends of the softflex, try the necklace on and test for length, and then keep going. Once the necklace is the desired length, use your crimp beads, wire guardians and crimp covers to finish the ends off, and link the clasp on with jump rings.
Components
Go to our components list for this project and to buy what you need!Need some help with some of the techniques? Check our tips page.
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