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Simple and sensational lariats–
What’s not to love about
lariat designs? They can be tied or looped to suit whatever length you
need. Many designs are fast and easy to make: Dangle a pair of big
baubles at the ends of a cool chain. Tie clusters of crystals on the
ends of a length of hand-dyed silk cord. Or, invest more time in seed-beaded
lariats and find the results worthwhile: Stitch or crochet a beaded rope,
and the sky’s the limit as to what the end embellishment can be.
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Endless ideas for lariat ends
I love using my experimental
pieces or swatches of beadwork as beaded beads on the ends of lariats.
That’s how I finished this chain lariat: I threaded a wire with a
hammered spiral at one end through each spiral peyote bead; the spiral
is large enough to act as a stopper to keep the bead from sliding off
the wire end. They’re attached to a chain with wire-wrapped loops. The
rest of the necklace has sections of linked resin beads to match.
Spiral Peyote and Chain Lariat by Leslie Rogalski
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How long should your lariat be?
Make lariats
long enough to have versatility, similar to a scarf you’d wrap around
your neck or tie around your waist. Where do you want the ends to fall?
How tightly will this fit around your neck? Three and one-half feet is a good length to
do a simple half-hitch loop with the ends. If you plan to double the
lariat and pull the ends through the loop, allow at least 4’ so the
ends hang down long enough and you aren’t left with a choker!
Black Saucer Bead lariat by Leslie Rogalski
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Four lariats to inspire you–
From simple dangles to seed-bead sizzlers, these lariats should rope you in to make your own!
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Eye of the Peacock by Kerrie Slade
Crystal cosmic rings and
lapis lazuli beads are paired to form the eye of this beautiful beaded
peacock "feather." Add a spiral herringbone rope, and the resulting
lariat is art-nouveau gorgeous. |
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Berry Lariat by Dottie Hoeschen
Rose-color beads drape in a
lovely ribbon created with a variation of a chevron weave. Picking up
gold edge beads adds a little sparkle and richness. |
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Magatama Mambo by Judy Donovan and Leslie Pope
If you're
comfortable with bead crochet, you'll enjoy taking your skills to the
next level by creating this bead-crochet lariat with a mixture of seed
beads and magatamas (large glass-drop beads). Fringe is used to finish
the ends of the necklace. |
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Mango Tango by Fran Cey and Judy Solomon
Judy and Fran
were inspired by one of their hand-dyed silk colors, Mango Blend, in
creating this lariat. Using sterling beads, sterling chain, and
semiprecious stones left over from other projects, they designed a
beautiful and easy-to-make piece of textured wearable art. |
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FREE LARIAT PROJECT!
Lisa Kan’s Knotted Treasures lariat is
meant to be worn wrapped twice around the neck with a tiered effect; the
double strands create a more substantial lariat with added texture.
This is a great design for using leftover beads in a complementary
palette.
Download free project Knotted Treasures |
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Lariats all have happy endings
One thing all lariats have in
common is their simple formula of a cord culminating in artistic
endings. For great ideas on interesting cords to connect your lariat
ends, check out Jean Campbell’s book 32 Beaded Cords, Chains, Straps
& Fringe. |
Lasso your lariat tips and share them with us on
Beading Daily!
Speaking of happy endings . . .This is my final post as editor of
Beading Daily. I am eager to spend more time in my studio creating my own designs, though I will continue to maintain strong ties to Interweave, especially at the many Bead Fest shows. Thank you to everyone, with a special shout out to my forum Mods, who helped make
Beading Daily what it has been and will continue to be. And I’m not really leaving–I’ll still be on the forums as an active member, and may even be a guest editor now and then. After all, now more than ever I will be beading daily!
Happy beading!
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Filed under: Peyote stitch, Crystals, Bead Crochet, Beaded Beads, Bead Making, Herringbone Stitch, How To Bead, Seed Bead Patterns, Bead-weaving, Beading Tools, Beaded Jewelry Design, Beads, Beading Daily