#ClubDesigns: Melodrama earrings variations

Are you thinking about beading the Melodrama earrings?

Check out the beautiful variations fellow beaders made and read about their experience!

 

#ClubDesigns is a series of articles on the Storytelling blog and a series of posts in the Storytelling Beading Club on Facebook.

Since the beginning of the first COVID-lockdown, we bead together every Friday, to make sure that #NoOneHasToBeadAlone.
We bead a different jewel every week – designed specifically for the workshop. Afterward, it’s really fun to see all the variations beaders come up with! Not only colors differ, but very often a pendant becomes a brooch, a motif that was originally an earring is modified into a bracelet or a ring. Moreover, sometimes it happens that not all the bead shapes are available to someone – and she needs to alter the original design to make it work.

The #ClubDesigns series is the collection of this beady wisdom.

You can read what works and what doesn’t, see best practices, and get advice.
Did you bead this design, too? Share your thoughts in a comment – we would love to read about how you were playing with it!

 

 

Click here for the beading tutorial!

MATERIAL LIST

• 5×8 mm Gemduo beads, 
• Miyuki seed beads 15/0,
• Miyuki Delica 11/0,
• Miyuki Half Tila beads,
• Miyuki Tila beads,
• 2 mm round druk beads,
• earring hooks.

 

Caribbean Melodrama necklace by Marianske

 

Marianske’s choice of colors was influenced by the time she lived in the Caribbean.

“My Melodrama became a necklace. I put a 10mm rivoli in the middle. My mother came with the idea of adding Erika’s little star. From there on some bicones were added and as I was playing with the tilas and half tilas to try and make some sort of rope with them, it became an entire necklace instead of just a pendant.”

Marianske’s cheerful necklace is for sure a mood-lifter these days, thank you so much for it 🙂

 

Two beautiful versions made by Diane L. Sawczyn

 

Diane says:

“I created two versions, the one ot the left following the design for a change except for using crystals instead of pearls, and the other with a bit of improv. I didn’t have a drop that looked good so I made up a simple little motif using mini-duos and a crystal. I left the last rounds of 15/0 seed beads off to leave Erika’s design in a circle because I think it looks vaguely like the female symbol though a stylized version.

Fun design as always Erika Sándor!

 

Melodrama upgraded with crystals – by Annelien Willems

 

 

“Melodrama earrings and necklace….inspired by the glass connectors Zuzi was using “

Click here for the crystal connectors and the gemstone drops that Annelien used!

 

A whole collection of jewels made by Katalin Dudás

 

It seems that Kata got really hooked! She wrote:

“For the earrings I used different kind of drops and in one version a small metal oval thingie, combined with a mini drop. I made a bracelet, the pieces just fit perfectly to the filigrees and I used the same connection idea for the necklace. Also, I felt I need a double chain for the necklace, not a heavy one, so I used 3mm pearls (and 4mm for the very end), though in 2 chains on each side. I was happy to have a Mocca drop, it gives the pendant some extra push.

For the red-purple-yellow pendant, I put a Snowflake filigree behind the element and a mesh in the middle. No glue, I decided to sew everything. I ran out of the tequila Gemduos, but this color set will definitely grow 
I also added Rivolis to my earrings – thank you Vica, for the idea!
In terms of colors… well… it’s just me :D”

 

Click here to join the next #NoOneHasToBeadAlone class!

Elegant and romantic in one – earrings by Jenny Argile

 

Jenny created a dramatic effect and passionate earrings. She explains:

“I added hot pink accents and a fuschia 14 mm rivoli. The white tassel complements the white Tila beads.”

 

Ludmila Turzova’s love of brooches 🙂

 

“Melodrama in my colors. I beaded around the motif more times to make the points sharper and look nicer. I added a 8 mm Preciosa Light Siam rivoli in metal setting to the middle, and I glued a filigree to the back. The filigree got a brooch base. I love wearing brooches! I like bracelets, too, but I’m afraid I’d damage them – and that would be a shame  “

 

Zuzi Hake rocking the Pantone 2021 color combination

 

“I wanted to make Melodrama pendant in Pantone ’21 colors, using one motif with 8mm bezeled rivoli in each corner, that’s the reason of delicas around gemduos. As my idea developed, I decided to sew it into a filigree…so I opened my filigree box and started mixed/match game. I chose the Circle Dance filigree that is used in the Janis J design, when I realized I have my Janis J in similar colors. I found it and put these two designs together. And I love it. It has depth thanks to the extra layer created by the Melodrama motif. “

Zuzi this is such an amazing idea! I love it!!!

 

Lots of ‘drama’ by Deb Taylor

“Once again thank you Erika for this lovely pattern.
I used True 2 instead of druk beads. Not a color I would normally use.”

 

Two nice color combinations by Virginia Bremken

 

Ginny put together not one, but two awesome color combinations right away. The one on the left is very special, I love it!

 

In springtime mood with Manuela Hamm

 

Using blue and green together always brings me into a springtime mood. And since it’s my favorite season – big thanks, Manuela 😀

 

In springtime mood with Manuela Hamm

 

“Here’s my ‘Melodrama earring’ . Had a pair of glass earrings bought a while back. The color matched the beads I used in the pattern so decided to attach the two. Though the tila beads are transparent and a bit on the lighter shade, the slight sheen matches the rest of the beads perfectly.

Enjoyed making these . Thank you Erika for this lovely tutorial Now I think I need to make a matching pendant

In combination with bead embroidery by Marion Hentrich

 

“This time my Melodrama became a pendant. I fixed the motif on a piece of leather and sewed a bezeld chaton onto the middle. Since I didn’t have matching half tilas I used 2 quarter tilas instead.”

 

Would you like to learn the basics of bead embroidery? Click here for Erika’s series of videos!

 

Beautiful turquoise by Maro Mio

 

Maria always makes two versions: one for herself and one for her mom. I wonder who got this beautiful combination 🙂

 

Brooch with filigree made by Zuzi Hake, Queen of Brooches 😀

“My Melodrama brooch    love the square filigree brooch base as it has star motif in the center, a perfect match!”

Besides sharing a love for filigree components, we also love how Zuzi paired the color of Tila and the glass drop in metal setting.

 

A necklace fit for a special night out by Angelika Sommer

 

Angelika put together three Melodrama motifs for a statement necklace and used an 8×32 mm glass drop in metal setting for the bottom. The universal colors make this necklace 100% versatile.

 

Decorated with unusual drops by Marielle Breedeveld

 

Marielle likes to take the designs a step or even two further with her own ideas. In this case, she added seed beads on top of the design, but also drops with beaded bead caps at the bottom. PERFECTION!

 

Annelien Willems inspired by Zuzi Hake

 

Annelien liked Zuzi’s version so much that she also decided to go for it: this is the combination of the Janis J. bead embroidery pendant and the Melodrama motif!

Thank you very much to everyone who contributed to this article with ideas, pictures, and her creativity!
I am looking forward to seeing even more variations of the Melodrama earrings.
Erika