Making Beaded Jewelry the Easy Way.

by Douglas

There are many many books on beading and many beads to choose from, not to mention a few popular methods. One of the easy ways to make a bead bracelet is to use a elastic string to put larger beads on and forgo the use of needles and any kind of extra equipment. With no tools needed besides your fingers it is a easy way to get into crafting bead jewelry or just to have fun!

Elastic strings come in different types, stretch percentages and diameter sizes. Some of the strings will hold up better than others, but you will have to possibly find out by trial and error based on what is available at your local stores and add to that the confusion because some do not list percentage of stretch etc. The elastic with no cloth wrapping will not fray at the ends when it is knotted. The 1mm can be easier to work with, assuming the holes on your beads are large enough to move freely on this diameter elastic.

Beads are available in so many types and the way you are beading will be easier with the larger sizes as it is easier to thread and not lose them. You may want to try beads made of plastic and/or with more polished looking holes in them as it grabs less on the elastic and reduces the chances of breaking.

Well, the next step after purchasing materials is the fun part, make it. OK, maybe shopping is fun as well, but this is a little more fun!

1.Measure you wrist roughly by just wrapping some around your wrist of the lucky person receiving this creation. Add a little bit for the size of the beads and remember this stuff will stretch. Cut the length plus 2 inches to help with tying after it is done.

2.Just knot one end (in an easy to undo knot!) or hold one end in between spare fingers not used to place beads with.

3.Feed the beads on until you have almost the whole length done. You can make a pattern of colors, sizes and styles.

4.Check the size and if it is fine then tie the knot tight. Trim the loose ends a bit, if it will be stretching a bit then maybe leave a tad on the ends and you can tuck the string ends in some bead holes (if you have space) to make it tidy. Another option with ones that are stretching a lot is to wear it a while and then trim it.

Easy, affordable fun with no tools and only 2 materials and some time. Not to much to learn really, though you can get lost looking at beads for a hour or two!