Beadwork Favorites: Simply Seeds Pattern Collection

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Seed beads aren’t just bead stash staples—they’re the tiny building blocks for many gorgeous jewelry designs. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all the shaped beads that have stormed the market, you can take comfort in these projects that focus on seed beads and include Czech glass, crystals, and other beads. Each project has meticulous materials lists, instructions, illustrations, and alternate colorways to kickstart your jewelry creations.

ABOVE: Alternate colorway for Kathy Simond’s Patchwork Earrings and Pendant

Circular Peyote Stitch and Herringbone Stitch

Stitch cylinder beads to form interesting petal shapes, then join them together to make an eye-catching bracelet. The project instructions includes tips for using the petal shapes to make earrings or linked end-to-end to form a bracelet. If you’re new to circular peyote stitch, be sure to check out Top 5 Tips for Mastering Circular Peyote Stitch with Melinda Barta.

Vezsuzsi is a Hungarian bead-jewelry designer and teacher who lives in Austria. She started making jewelry in 2007 and is inspired by mathematics, nature, colors, and textures. See her patterns at www.beadsbyvezsuzsi.etsy.com or read her blog at www.vezsuzsigyongyei.blogspot.com.

Seed Beads in Geometric Herringbone and Peyote Stitch

Use seed beads and cylinder beads with sparkly fire-polished rounds in geometric herringbone and peyote stitches for earrings that are reminiscent of a patchwork quilt. We’ve included alternate materials lists for a blue version and a pink version of this project. The project originally appeared in the Simply Seeds column in Beadwork magazine. You can now find it for individual download as part of this collection.

Kathy is an Idaho native who has been beading since 2000. The various shapes and sizes of beads fascinate her, and she enjoys the challenge of combining them in her designs and patterns. Contact Kathy at kbsimonds@gmail.com and https://www.etsy.com/shop/KathySimondsDesigns.

Bead Looming with Seed Beads

Lindsay Burke’s Desert Sky Loomed Bracelet is a stylish band of beaded loomwork that combines Delica cylinder beads with Swarovski crystal round beads. The closure adds to the trendy look of the bracelet but it serves a practical purpose, too. By using this tube slide clasp and beading chain, you have a cute, tasseled finish. Plus, the bracelet will fit any wrist. If you need to brush up on your bread looming knowledge, look no further than our Beadwork Techniques. Download it now.

Lindsay lives in the Seattle area with her husband and two beautiful daughters. You can find her work in several publications and in her book Make it Sparkle (Interweave 2016). Or, watch her YouTube instructional videos.

Cubic Right-Angle Weave, Herringbone, and Peyote Stitch

Cindy Kinerson is a beader and basket weaver – and she employs both skills in these intriguing earrings. Meredith Steele says, “Cindy Kinerson’s Boho Baskets Earrings inspired me to make a pair in my own colors—I must work up the courage to wear them! I love big, bold, and bright—but I find that I only wear simple and plain jewelry. These earrings are deceptive—they look so complicated because of all the colors of tiny seed beads, but they work up way faster than I thought. I love the idea of forming a CRAW base to work off in three dimensions. I want to make a big dodecahedron or something and use it as a holiday ornament.”

Cindy is a bead artist and teacher specializing in bead-loom weaving and leather. She teaches at national bead shows, and her work has been published widely in both books and magazines. She co-owns the Reno Bead Shop with her husband and can be reached at cindy@renobeadshop.com.

Seed Beads in Loop Fringe and Spiral Stitch

When’s the last time you wore a lariat? This style is so versatile and fun make – and the loopy necklace ends make great earrings, too. This Bohemian lariat and matching earrings use a loop-fringe technique that gives a fuller look than regular fringe. Triangle accent beads lend sparkle to the cascade of beads, but you can omit them if you prefer to focus on the seeds. Danielle shares tips and a turquoise color variation to inspire you to make it your own. She recommends using your favorite monochromatic color palette for maximum effect.

Danielle Wickes is a jewelry artist and Content Creator for John Bead Corp. She is drawn to all things creative and loves working with seed beads, creating bead-weaving patterns, and working with glass beads, earth stones, wire, and leather. Visit www.daniellewickesjewelry.com to see more and get in touch.

We’d love to hear in the comments if you want more projects featuring all (or mostly) seed beads. Indulge your seed bead passion with a variety of articles about seed beads, including How Seed Beads Are Made: An Inside Look. Iif you’re looking for a new adventure in beading, consider Handy Tips for Writing Your Own Seed Bead Patterns.

Happy beading,
Katie Hacker, Content Manager – Bead & Jewelry

Originally posted November 8, 2021. Updated April 13, 2022.

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