Friday, August 20, 2010

Bead bracelet

While searching the "interwebs" for some craft ideas, I came across this bracelet idea. I thought it was really cute and could picture a friend of mine wearing one. I wrote down the items I would need on my next Hobby Lobby excursion and decided to give it a try.

Here's how it turned out:

Here's what I used:
Size 00 (or 3/4") safety pins
Seed beads
Elastic bead cord in black, size 1 mm
White Tacky Glue

How it goes together:
Place beads on safety pins, dot with glue and close pin. I put a dot of glue on a piece of cardboard to make it easy to pick up and swipe the pin through it without losing beads.
Cut 2 pieces of elastic about 10"-12" depending on the size of your desired end product. Allow for about 2"-3" extra for tying knots.
Tie the ends together *loosely* on one side to keep pins from falling off. This will come apart later, so just do it tight enough to keep it in place.
Begin threading on the pins, alternating directions of the hinged end to keep the bracelet even. Make sure the beads stay up!
When you have enough to fit the wrist, untie the one end and tie the two corresponding ends together. Trim or weave in the ends.

What I will do differently next time:
I purchased a slightly larger seed bead because I loved the colors. With the larger size, I'd go with a Size 0 (or 7/8") safety pin. This isn't necessary, but it would allow more than 3 beads per pin.
Also, I would probably dot a little glue on the end of the elastic to keep it from fraying as I put on the pins. It's an extra step, but it would make the process easier as you get closer to the end.

Helpful hints:
Purchase the pins from the jewelry making section of the craft store rather than the sewing section. You get a LOT more for your money!
Coordinate your elastic color to the colors of your beads to make it a bit more camouflaged.
If you wanted a few extra steps, you could even spray paint your safety pins to match the colors before adding the beads.

Send me a link if you try this!



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