Starfishes are marine invertebrates and can found in all the world's oceans. They are a perennial favorite with beaders! This collection shows the work of designers as they put their own spin on this element.

One of the most lovely starfish tutorials is the sea star tutorial by Svetlana of SvetlanaGalleryBeads (shown above).  I like how she used graduated colors for this peyote creation. It is a curved design so tension is very important.

This tutorial by Glenda MacNaughton of daxbeadartpatterns is a flatter design using herringbone and peyote stitches.  She made an excellent point when she said :

They can be used to make earrings, bracelets, necklaces or fish tank ornaments - let your imagination run wild.
Fish tank ornaments are a great idea!

Prefer a smaller design, especially for earrings?  Check out this dainty starfish tutorial by Adrienne of WrappedToPerfection which uses herringbone and peyote stitches.


I like how Rebecca Webster of BeadAndNeedleDesigns offers her version of starfishes with this tutorial for 3 different sizes. Hers has a single pearl in the middle which makes the design pop! I also like her idea of linking them all for a longer pendant design.


Weird and Freaky Facts about Sea Stars

Starfish are misnamed. They are not fish but actually echinoderms which are marine animals with spiny skins (sea urchins are also in this group). They can live up to 35 years and range in size from finger nail size to up to 3 feet across. Most have 5 arms but some can have more. An Antarctic ocean species has about 50! Their favorite food is shellfish but some chomp on coral.

Wonder where their mouth is and how they eat?  Have a guess where their eyes are?

Watch this Ze Frank video on the weird and freaky facts about sea stars.  ZeFrank is one of my favorite channels by the American online humorist Hosea Jan "Ze" Frank, who also gradutated with a neuroscience degree. He makes delightful, funny commentaries about different animals with the pictures and videos from biologists.  A great way to learn!


Before You Go:

Disclosure 


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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM