EASY CRYSTAL BRACELET (©2006 Deborah Roberti) Materials:
Beads used in my photos NOTE: Bead colors and coatings (and even bead types!) seem to be disappearing at a rate that I can no longer keep up with. I try to find substitutes when I can but "discontinued" seems to be the norm these days. Top (green and black): Bottom (turquoise and green opal):
Step 1: Thread your needle with 3 yards of Nymo, C-Lon or FireLine. String a seed bead, a Color1 bead, a seed bead, a Color1 bead, a seed bead, a Color2 bead, a seed bead and a Color2 bead. Leaving a 10-inch tail for attaching the clasp, tie the beads in a circle with a double knot: Step 2: Go back through the Color2 bead, the seed bead, the Color2 bead and the seed bead: Step 3: String a Color2 bead, a seed bead, a Color2 bead, a seed bead, a Color1 bead, a seed bead and a Color1 bead. Go around and up through the seed bead you exited at the beginning of this step (highlighted in RED): Step 4: Continue back on through the Color2 bead, the seed bead, the Color2 bead and the seed bead that you added in the last step: Step 5: String a Color2 bead, a seed bead, a Color2 bead, a seed bead, a Color1 bead, a seed bead and a Color1 bead. Go around and down through the seed bead that you exited at the beginning of this step (highlighted in RED): Step 6: Continue back on through the Color2 bead, the seed bead, the Color2 bead and the seed bead that you added in the last step: Step 7: Repeat Steps 3 to 6 until your bracelet is about a half-inch short of the length you want it (not including the clasp). Step 8: Go back through the Color1 bead and the seed bead highlighted in RED: Step 9: String a Color1 bead, a seed bead and a Color2 bead. Go through the next seed bead on the row below (highlighted in RED): Step 10: String a Color2 bead, a seed bead and a Color1 bead. Go though the next seed bead on the row below (highlighted in RED): Step 11: Repeat steps 9 and 10 until you get to the end of the bracelet: Step 12: Go around through the Color1 bead, the seed bead, the Color2 bead and the seed bead (highlighted in RED): Step 13: String a Color2 bead, a seed bead and a Color1 bead. Go through the seed bead on the row above (highlighted in RED): Step 14: String a Color1 bead, a seed bead and a Color2 bead. Go though the next seed bead on the row above (highlighted in RED): Step 15: Repeat steps 13 and 14 until you come to the end of the bracelet: Step 16: Go through Color2 bead and exit out of the seed bead: Step 17: To attach the clasp, string two seed beads, go through your clasp and back through the last seed bead that you just strung. String another seed bead and go back through the seed bead that you exited at the end of the last step, forming a circle. Go through these seed beads and the clasp several times to reinforce it. Weave back into the bracelet, knot in several places and cut your thread. Thread your needle with the tail thread from step 1. Repeat step 17 to attach the other end of the clasp. If your bracelet seems a bit too short, just add more seed beads at both ends when attaching the clasp. |