This is the first cabochon pendant I made. I was inspired by the colors and patterns of Native American art.
Center Stone: 18/25 Turquoise Cabochon
Inner Layer: Opaque Luster Green Czech Bead
Outer Layer: Transparent Blue Czech Bead
Thread: Black Nylon Thread, available at craft stores
I used the basic four-six stitch to sew the czech beads down.
First, take a piece of felt, and glue down your cabochon. (I use G-S Hypo Cement - it works wonders while making jewelry!) Now, thread your needle - you will need about 2 yards of thread for this project - and pull it through the underside of the felt, pulling it up as close to the cabochon as you can. (Make sure your stitches are as close to your button or cabochon as possible. It will make trimming away the excess felt much easier on you later!) Make sure you leave about five inches of string loose underneath your felt. It is up to you whether or not you want to tie the string underneath or not. However, it isn't necessary - I never tie the string under while making cabochon pendants.
Now, to start your stitch, take the needle you have pulled through the underside of the felt up to the top and slide four of your czech beads down the needle and pull them snug against the felt. Push the needle back through, from the top side of the felt to the bottom, as close to the fourth bead as you can, and pull the thread (still underneath the felt) back to the very first bead, then make room between the first bead and your needle for two more beads. Leaving this space open, pull your needle back up to the top side of the felt, and string two more beads on. Then, pull your needle through the other four beads.
Remaining on the top of the felt, string on four more beads. Then, just like before, push your needle through the felt, from the top side to the bottom, as close to the fourth bead as possible. Count back six beads, then push your needle, from the bottom to the top, and slide it through those six beads to re-string all of them. This serves to reinforce the string and make sure the beads aren't loose. However, don't pull the string too tight while you are sewing the beads on, because it will make the beads look uneven. Then, string on four more beads.
Repeat the paragraph above until you have strung beads all around your cabochon or button. If you come around to the beginning again and you aren't sure if you need, for example, three more beads or four to complete the circle, always put on three. Using too many beads makes it look awkward and uneven. Using one too few beads will look fine, as the final step pulls them together tighter.
To complete the look, pull your string through ALL of the beads without stitching it under in between. Do this until it is difficult to pull the string through anymore. This evens out the spaces between the beads and pulls them snug to make sure they don't loosen later on.
Pull the needle through the felt one final time and tie it together with the other end of the string you left loose at the beginning of the project. Most guides will tell you to simply tie it, but I also like to apply a bit of G-S Hypo Cement to the tie, as well as a bit to the other corners of string, to prevent it from coming untied. Cut away the excess felt. To make it look polished, glue another piece of felt to the back of the pendant to cover up the glue and string.
For the outer layer, repeat the above process, but keep in mind that you will either need more beads or bigger beads to fill the slight extra space!
To make an attachment to put it onto a chain or string, you can twist a piece of gold or silver wire into a circle and glue the twisted bit in between the pieces of felt, or sew a circle of matching beads onto the top side of your pendant.
Congratulations, you have made your first cabochon pendant!
- Kathleen
