New Tutorial - Cellini Asterisk Pendants

Make these starfish pendants in 2 sizes with this original variation on beaded Cellini spiral, using peyote and herringbone stitches and seed beads.

Alien flower pods or star fish? The center of these pendants is an urchin-like hollow puff of seed beads, with five pointy legs growing out of the base. The beadwork is stitched with just 3 sizes of regular Japanese seed beads. No fancy shapes required! So if you are a bead weaver, you probably already have everything you need.

This project is suitable for intermediate bead weavers who like peyote stitch. If you like the Victory Pod Earrings, you'll love making the matching Cellini Asterisk Pendant.

This tutorial shows three versions of the large Cellini Asterisk Pendant. The large ones measure 6 cm (2 and 3/8 in) point to point by 17 mm (less than 3/4 inch) thick. I made the easier version first, and although I like it, it is a bit squishy and, its legs are a bit wiggly. For the second version, I set out to make it stiffer, and so it is. The legs are also a wee bit fatter.

All of the adjustments are explained in the instructions. The stiffer large pendant is used in the step photos and illustrations. After you learn to make the units and assemble them, there is one page on stitching a bail, and another page on how to make the easier version of the pendant and how it differs from the harder version. There is also one page on the small pendant, including a few key illustrations and comments to get you started, and then a bunch of step photos showing how to assemble the pieces, including the bail.

You can also make these pendants with 2, 3 or 4 points instead of 5. So if you want to make a whole alien garden, you'll have lots of different flowers to put into it.

The tutorial is 15 pages, with 100 full color illustrations and photographs, a colorful feast for the eyes. The tutorial gives highly detailed illustrations, photographs, and written instructions to make Cellini Asterisk Pendants with seed beads and thread.

Thanks for looking.