It's wonderful the way some stitches have a mind of their own! In this project, fringes stitched around a core strand of beads twist into a delicate spiral ruffle as you work. First, string the core beads on a wire. Then, working up and down the wire, work herringbone stitch creating columns (stacks) of beads tipped with picots, with basic fringes between each herringbone stack. Inspired by the floral delicacy of this focal bead by lampwork glass artist Billie Jean Little, Lynn designed a necklace to reflect the Asian look of the bead. She chose pearls and natural colors and a bamboo-style copper toggle clasp (too beautiful to hide at the back!) for the perfect finishing touch to the design.

Required Materials: Seed beads, pearls, focal bead, jump ring, crimp tubes, beading wire, beading thread. See project for complete list.
Tools Needed: Beading needle, crimping pliers, wire cutters, scissors, bead Stopper, tray, bead reamer. See project for complete list.
Techniques Used: Herringbone, Fringe
Step by Step Beads, November/December 2008