Bead Love: Betty Stephan

Betty Stephan's work always has grand detail and she's even managed to pack it into this darling heart shaped pendant that she created. I love that's she's given us lot's of sample variety as well as wonderful suggestions for using the hearts 'Wouldn't it be nice to open an envelope and a little heart drops out?' That visual certainly makes me smile and makes me want to tuck them into unexpected places. I also think with her suggestion of adding a bail, it would make a perfect and sweet grand daughter necklace. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I think the cream colored one with the brown and red edge is calling me, or maybe the purple one, or.....? Show us your hearts, we love to see what you do! Marcia

This cute heart can be used in lots of ways. You can add a bail and make a pendant or a lobster clasp and use it as a charm. Or stitch 2 hearts together and seal a tiny memento inside!

They would be nice to enclose with a wedding card, get well card or sympathy card.

Or just stitch up one of these hearts and mail it to anyone that needs to know that someone cares about them. Wouldn’t it be nice to open up an envelope and a little heart drops out?

Sometimes it feels like we have little control over what happens in the world, but here is your chance to make a difference- one heart at a time. ♥

Just a few notes before you begin:

I have used the 2 color Super Duo Duets to frame the heart. However, you can substitute regular Super Duos as the second color. I liked the effect of the Duets and the two opposite colors joined into one bead harmonizes with our theme of “Love”. Also the two hearts joined as one. Maybe a little corny- but there you have it!

If you do use the Duets, I refer to the blue side in the diagram as the dark side and the green is the light side. That does not mean that you need to face the dark side of your Duet the same way that I do, it is just a label to differentiate between the two sides. You just need to make sure they are all facing the same way if you want it to look like the sample. Pay attention to this in the diagrams.

Also, remember that whenever using beads with two or more holes, check that BOTH holes are open before working them into your piece. I know it is a pain to do this, but believe me it is a lot more of a pain if you get half way through your piece and find that one of the holes is clogged up on the next Duo (don’t ask me how I know this LOL!)!

Lastly, single thread is fine to use for this project.

Note: the green star in each diagram is where you will begin that step. The red arrow is where you end.

1. Pick up (1) Duet A, (1) 15° C, (1) Duet A, (1) 15° C (dark side facing out). Leave a tail about 1’ long if you want to add a crystal or a dangle later. Tie a knot so your work looks like the first illustration.

Continue through the Duet, 15°, Duet. Pick up (1) 15° C, go back through the Duet just exited, 15°, Duet.

Pick up (1) 15° C, go back through the just exited Duet.

You are adding a 15° C at the outside of the holes on each Duet so that you can get to the other hole of the Duet without going across the outside where your thread will show.

Wondering why half of this illustration is gray instead of color? It’s not because the printer ran out of ink. From here on out, that gray part means that you added those beads already. The pretty colored beads are ones you are adding in this step.

2. Go across the Duet A and out the top hole.

Pick up (1)15° C and go back through the same hole of the Duet.

Pick up (1) Duet A, (1) Duo B, (1) Duet A (remember- have the dark side facing out).

Go through the top hole of the Duet A added in step 1.

Pick up (1) 15° C, go back through (2) Duets.

Go across the Duet and sew out through the other hole. Keep the tension tight so your thread doesn’t show. If you need to tighten up any row, go back and repeat the thread path.

3. Pick up (1) 15° C, go back through the hole of the Duet.

Pick up (1) Duet A, (1) Duo B, go through the empty hole of the Duo B.

Pick up (1) Duo B, (1) Duet A, go through the top hole of the Duet A from the last row.

Pick up (1) 15° C, go back through (2) Duets.

Go across the Duet and out through the other hole.

4. *Pick up (1) 15° C, go back through the Duet.

Pick up (1) Duet A, (1) Duo B, go through the empty hole of the Duo in the previous row.

Pick up (1) Duo B, go through the empty hole of the Duo in previous row.

Pick up (1) Duo B, (1) Duet A, go through the empty hole of the Duet in the previous row.

Pick up (1) 15° C, go back through the hole of the Duet and continue through the next Duet. Go across the Duet and out through the other hole. *

Continue in this fashion, repeating from * to * (above) for 2 more rows, but adding one more Duo each row between the Duos added from the previous row. Your last row will have (5) Duo B.

5. Pick up (1) 15° C, go back through the hole of the Duet A.

Pick up (1) Duet A, go through the empty hole of the Duo in the previous row.

Pick up (1) Duo, go through the next Duo.

*Pick up (1) Duet with the dark side facing the center, go through the next Duo. * Repeat from * to * one time.

Pick up (1) Duo, go through the next Duo.

Pick up (1) Duet, go through the next Duet.

Do that thing with the 15° C on the edge- you should have the hang of it by now!

Go through the (2) Duets, across the 2nd Duet and out through the other hole.

6. Add a 15°, go back through the Duet.

* Pick up (1) Duet with the dark side facing up (all of these top Duets will have the dark side facing up), add a 15° and go back through the Duet keeping your tension tight. You can repeat the thread path to tighten if you feel you need to.

Go across the Duet and out through the other hole.

Pick up another Duet A and (1) 15° C. Go down through the (2) Duets you just added and continue through the Duo below in the direction of the arrow in the diagram (the one that is standing up). This will be sort of wonky but will straighten up in the next step. Make sure you pull your thread tight enough so the beads are right up against each other.

7. Pick up (1) Duet A, go up through the empty hole of the top Duet from the last step. Pick up a 15° and go back down through the (2) Duets.

Go across the Duet and up through the other hole. Pick up (1) 15° C and go down through the same hole.

Go through the Duet below (the one in the center on the right) with your needle facing toward the other center Duet.

Pick up (1) 15° C, go through the next center Duet. *

Repeat from * to * in step 6 and 7 on the other side.

Add a 15 at the outside of the last Duet. Tie off your thread, but see the note below before you weave in the tail and trim.

You could stop right here and add a bail to have a cute pendant or charm. Or you can make another following steps 1-7 (don’t cut the threads at the end of the second one though) and follow the directions in the step 8 to attach them together.

You can vary the colors on the two hearts to make a reversible pendant that will look very different depending on which side you decide to wear facing out. It also gives you a little space to insert a tiny photo, note or keepsake remembrance of someone that you want to hold within your heart.

8. After you have made the second heart, hold them together back to back so the 15° C’s on the outside of both hearts are lined up. You will be connecting them by sewing 15° D’s and crystal E’s between the 15°C ‘s on each of the hearts.

Sew through your work until you are exiting a15° C.

*Pick up (1) 15°D and sew through the corresponding 15° C on the other heart. Pick up (1) crystal E and sew through the corresponding 15° C on the first heart. *

Continue around the heart- repeating from * to *, going back and forth between hearts until you have connected all the 15° C’s on the 2 hearts.

Remember, if you want to enclose something inside the heart, do it now before the whole outside is sewn together!

9. You can quit now if you want and just tie off your threads and weave in the tails. But if you want to add a bail for a pendant or a clip for a charm, keep going!

Work your way through the edge embellishment to the top center of the heart, maybe 1-2 embellishment beads to either side of center. Pick up (8) 15° D (more or less if you want) and thread them through your O ring, bail or whatever you are using. Sew through the bead on the other side of the center top. You will probably want to reinforce this a couple of times to make it nice and strong.

If you want to add a dangle to the bottom, add your needle to the tail thread and you are all set to do it!

And you have finished- pretty easy and fast- right? Don’t let me limit you- join them to make a bracelet, necklace or a whole dress if you want!! Add embellishments! And remember...LOVE!

I end each tute with a poem

and it seems that wherever I roam

I meet many fine folk

and they all love a joke.

Cuz smiles make us all feel at home.

Beading can bridge the gap

‘tween people all over the map.

Spread love far and near-

try to be of good cheer.

NEVER be that troll in the app!

For a printable version click here.

If you would like to see what other kits and tutorials Betty has available, you can find them here: