New Pattern: Tropical Dahlia Set

Just in time for the spring, my newest beading pattern is now available!

A Beaded Blossom Pendant

The Tropical Dahlia Pendant is the focal piece of this two-pattern set. I previously blogged about my design goals behind this pendant and the origin of its name, but basically, I wanted to design something with the new rizo beads in a floral theme. This pendant is the result of those efforts.

I labeled this pattern as an advanced design because it uses some unusual thread paths, and you have to be very careful not to weaken or cut your thread on the edges of the crystals when you add them to the beadwork. However, the pattern includes tons of illustrations and photos, so anyone with experience in the right angle weave, peyote, and netting stitches should be able to follow this rizo bead pattern. This design shares some ideas that I previously explored with the Rivoli Kaleidoscope Pendant, but it expands on these concepts for a more flower-like design.

Matching Earrings

Finally, since I've been working towards a goal of designing a matching pair of earrings for each of my new pendants, I wove some Mini Tropical Dahlias that fit this role perfectly!

I'm particularly proud of how the centers of these little flowers face out and not down when the earrings are worn. This took a lot of fiddling to get right, but I'm really happy with how they turned out!

The pattern for the Tropical Dahlia Set is available exclusively at beadorigami.com if you'd like to make your own!