Orchid Iris Earrings Tutorial

Prep thread & start: Cut ~3 ft thread, add a stop bead, thread your needle(s). Position your halo bead and a RounTrio so you can pass through them as the center start. Form the interior bottom loop: From the halo/RounTrio assembly, string 4 × 15/0 seed beads, pass back through the opposite side of the halo, then route into the third hole of the RoundTrio and exit the bottom. This creates the bottom connector. Repeat on the opposite side: Add another 4 × 15/0, return through the first holes to firm the base — snug your thread so the halo sits centered. Add the exterior 15/0 rows (bezel prep): On each side of the halo add 10 × 15/0 (top and bottom sets will make the full row). Sew through the opposite groups to form a continuous loop around the halo — pull tight so it looks like a neat bezel. Switch to brick stitch with Delicas: Pick up Delicas and add them around the bead bridge threads using brick stitch: pick up 2 Delicas, sew under the bridge thread, then up through the 2nd delica; repeat until the Delicas form a tidy ring over the 15/0 row (the tutorial uses 24 Delicas around). Join start & finish of the brick row: When you reach the start, join bead #1 to bead #24 by sewing down through the last delica, under the 15/0s below, then back up through bead #1 so the ring closes neatly. Add the small pico trim: From the top Delica/15O area, add pico points: generally 3 × 15/0 (or 11/0/config of your choice) to form the little peaks around the bezel — the video alternates Delicas + 15/0s to make 8 small peaks. Attach the top RounTrio (connector): Pick up a 15/0, sew up into one outer hole of the top RounTrio, add 3 × 15/0 down through the other outer hole (skipping the center hole), then catch the top pico bead to pull the RounTrio into the center—this creates the pendant shape above the halo. Dress the outer edge: Add the outer decorative beads (the transcript shows adding short runs of ~8 beads on each side and tucking them into the surrounding pico beads) to round out the shape and tighten. Add the wire guard / ear-wire connection: Thread up through the center top beads, pass through a small wire guard (to protect thread from the ear wire), then back down through the center beads so the guard sits snug and centered. Weave & finish: Bring your thread down through nearby beads to bury the tail, tie a small weaver’s knot under a bridge thread (loop + pass-through method), pull tight, then carefully melt/trim the tail with a thread zapper. Repeat for the second earring. Attach ear wires: Open the ear-wire loop, insert the wire guard, close the loop, adjust alignment and you’re done.