Friendship Pin (beginner seed bead level)

This project assumes familarity with brick stitch. At some point in
the future I will do an article just on brick stitch in all it´s many variations.

You will need
A safety pin
beading thread
beads for the pattern you are using
beading needles
Choose a brick stitched earring pattern, or design one, also you can slip beads on a head pin for a dangle. I think this idea would work wonderfully for quick swaps with friends, or to show which bead lists you are on at conventions.
Thread your needle, and string on an even number of beads just a little shorter then the length of the pin of your safety pin. Weave in even count flat peyote (shown below) for enough rows to wrap in a tube around the pin, for size 11´s I´ve found 5 rows (5 beads on each side) works wonderfully. Make sure you have the same number of beads on each side so the bead count is right to close it.

Close the beads in a tube around the closed side of the pin, by zipping the beads shut.

Close the pin, and make the earring or dangle, and hang it from the loop as shown.

Here´s a better copy of the pattern I used on this one.

I started making these for friends as quick gifts, and for my daughter because sometimes she really loved an earring pattern I had and her ears aren´t pierced, this way she can wear pretty pins with the teddy bears et cetra that I use for them.
I would also suggest "beadie" patterns done in seed beads with thin wire or stiff thread to hang from these. You can find a lot of great patterns at makingfriends.com. It would also make a good pattern to teach young people how to do peyote stitch.

You can also dangle a few head pins with flower beads from them, or pretty lampwork beads.