These earrings were inspired by the Swarovski crystal candy corn earrings. Janet used a decreasing brick stitch to create the candy corn.
Designer Tips
Begin with the bottom row of the candy corn: Make a ladder stitch of 11 yellow seed beads, add 2 beads, and move the needle under the top of the exposed loop between the 2nd and 3rd base row beads, bringing the needle from back to front.
Bring the needle up, from bottom to top, through the inside bead (that you just added).
Now go down through the first bead added, and back up through the 2nd bead once more. This will make a nice tight triangle.
* Pick up another bead, going under the next closest exposed loop, remembering to move the needle back to front.
** Bring the needle back up through the new bead.
Keep repeating * and ** until you have reached 2 beads at the candy corn's top.
Continued Below...
Designers Tips, Continued:
The first row of yellow seed beads is 11 beads.The second row of yellow seed beads is 10 beads. The third through eighth rows are orange beads with 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 and finally 4 beads. The ninth through eleventh rows are white seed beads with 3, 2, and finally 1 bead.
The top row with one (1) white bead will be turned on its side. You accomplish this by adding that last white bead, going down through the bead in the tenth row (the 2 bead row) back up through the second bead in that row and through the single white bead that is now turned on its side at the top.
As you come out the side of the top white bead, add a black 4mm crystal and 3 (or 5) black seed beads, circle back to the top of the crystal and through the other side of the white bead. This will create a loop to add the earring wire. Go through the beads twice to make sure the loop is nice and strong.
If you have enough thread left, weave your way to the widest row of the candy corn. If you don't have enough thread to do that, tie on a yard of thread in the candy corn and weave away from the knot.
Now you are going to add the fringe. I start at one of the sides of the bottom triangle, coming out the bottom of the bead.
Add(1) black bead, (1) white bead, (1) orange bead, (1) yellow bead, (1) black bead, (1) 4mm black crystal, (1) black bead, (1) yellow bead, (1) orange bead, (1) white bead, (1) black bead. Loop through the last black bead (this will turn it on its side) and back up through the first strand of fringe, coming out the top of the yellow bead (bottom row of the candy corn).
Go back down through the next yellow bead and string on (3) black beads plus the same pattern as above.
Repeat the third strand of fringe adding (5) black beads with the above-mentioned pattern. The next strand will have (7) black beads and the same pattern, then (9) black beads and the same pattern, till you reach the center strand of fringe that has (11) black beads and the same pattern. The next strand will be (9) black beads and the same pattern, then (7) black beads... and so on until you reach your final strand of fringe. Weave into the candy corn and tie off, then weave away from the knot and cut the thread.
Add the ear wires. If you're new to jewelry-making, see Jewelry Basics 101 (PDF) for most secure way to open and loop loops.
Your Candy Corn All Dressed Up earrings are ready for you to wear proudly to the next Halloween party (even if it's on Zoom)!
