Seed Bead Leaves: Earrings or Necklace

One of the things I'm currently working on is a leaf stitched with matte green beads and silver galvanized beads. At the end of each row is a round, faceted hematite stone.

I start at the center of the leaf and gradually decrease each row. When I reach the end, at the tip of the leaf, I turn my loom around and finish the leaf, again decreasing until I reach the end. I do it this way, rather than starting at the top of the pattern to the end as I would for a square shaped pattern, because I've found that decreasing is easier than increasing. And if anyone bead stitches, they'll know how time consuming it can be and will look for ways to make it easier :)

See all the threads that are sticking out of the leaf - these are the dreaded warp threads! Any beader will know that these are the real time consuming pieces of the process, but I haven't been able to find a way to make this part easier. It's just something you have to deal with as a beader. You need to weave in the threads back into the pattern. This is so the beads don't pull apart.

Originally I was thinking this would be a pendant for a necklace, but when I held them up as earrings, I liked it quite a bit. So I haven't decided yet, but I think I may make another one and create earrings for these! Look for them in my shop soon.