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Double the Fun - beaded optical lens pendant



Some vintage optical test lenses make great magnifiers, with their thick convex shapes. I chose one such lens to make this bead-rimmed double sided pendant. If you can’t find an optical test lens that suits, a 1-1/2 inch magnifying glass on a loop would work as well.

I used right angle weave (RAW), the one-needle variety, to make the beaded rim for this piece. The two sides are constructed separately, and then they are stitched together, which allows you to chose different colors for each side. The pendant shown here has just the basic RAW rim, but if you are experienced with bead weaving, you’ll know that this rim can easily be embellished with layers and layers more beads if you wish to fancy it up!
Materials and Tools

Optical lens
Nymo beading thread, size D
11/0 cylinder beads (Delicas), 25 each of two colors (A)
8/0 seed beads, 25 each of two colors (B)
4mm fire polished facetted beads, 50 each of two colors (C)

Beading needle
Scissors
Glue

1. Use a 3’ length of Nymo, single threaded on a beading needle. Needle through 1A, 1B, and 3C. Make a loop and run the thread through all the beads again, leaving a 5” tail. Pass the needle through the A and B a second time.


2. Needle through 1A, 1B, and 2C. Loop around and needle down through the closest C from the previous step. Pass the needle back through the A and B from this step a second time.

3. Repeat step 2 until there are 24 clusters and they are ready to join into a circle.

4. Finish by passing the needle through 1A and 1B. Pass the needle up through the C on the end where you began. Needle through 1C, and then pass the needle down through the closest C in the previous cluster.


5. Pass the needle through the entire ring of As and Bs. Tie off and glue. Work the 5” tail into the beads and clip off, but leave the long tail for later.

6. Make a second ring of RAW clusters, following steps 1-5.

7. Using one of the long tails, needle up through the first 2 Cs to emerge from the top edge of each ring.

8. Weave the thread back and forth through the top edge beads of the two rings, passing the needle alternately through a bead from each ring.. As you get back around close to the beginning, insert the optical lens. Finish weaving back and forth up to the stem of the lens.


9. Circle the stem of the optical lens, running the needle through the top edge beads around the stem. Needle back down to the inner loop, next to the other long tail. Tie them off and glue the knot. Work the ends through a few beads and clip off.




Copyright 2010 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

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Comments

Thank you, very pretty!!!