Anemone Bracelets

Posted on March 19, 2014 by hppiefrk

Anemone bracelets are super easy and super fast. And they can use up your cheap 6/0 seed beads!

purple and blue on a white base

clear pink on a white base with an 11/0 color mix

bottom: bronze base, cheap Walmart 6/0 bead mix with brown 11/0s;
top: white base, same mixed beads, and white 11/0s

Five Anemone Bracelets

These bracelets are super easy, mindless work. Sometimes you just feel like making something that doesn’t take a ton of concentration, and this fits the bill. You can also add other types of beads, like the acrylic flowers and leaves that I added here in a bracelet for my 8 year old niece Chloe.

Cut your wire an inch longer than your desired finished length.

Cut a length of wire about an inch longer than the length you want, don’t forget to add in the size of the clasp. Attach a clamshell bead tip cover and some crimp beads to one half.

Base beads

String on enough 6/0 seed beads until about half an inch from the desired length. Leave 3/8″ empty space before adding the other clamshell.

3/8″ empty space to allow for embellishments.

Thread a needle with a good wingspan of thread or fireline, something thin enough to allow at least 3 passes through the base beads, which already have the wire running through them. Tie the line on to one end of the base, at the clamshell, with an overhand knot.

embellishment!

Add a 6/0 and an 11/0; go back through the 6/0 and then pass through the first base bead. You can also use 8/0s instead of 11/0s. Continue on adding a 6 and an 11 on to every base bead.

pretty flowers for an 8 year old girl.

I decided to mix it up a bit on this bracelet by adding some acrylic flowers and leaves in there in place of some of the 6/0’s.

First embellishment pass of three

I substituted a flower on every 6th bead on the first pass of embellishment. Otherwise you would just add 6/0’s and 11/0’s to every base bead all the way down to the other end of the bracelet.

try and snug that embellishment bead up in there

Try and snug the embellishment bead up against the base bead that you are adding it to so that it is tight in there. Especially once you are on the second and third passes, the potential for loose thread and loose beads is high, so I usually hold the embellishment bead up against the base bead with my thumbnail while I pull the thread through so it stays tight against the base.

And voila! After three passes; two with flowers and one pass with leaves.

I added flowers every sixth bead on the first pass; leaves every sixth bead in the second pass, and flowers again in the third. Stagger the embellishments. If using just 6/0 beads like the five bracelets at the top of this post, just make at least 3 passes of embellishment. Tie off the thread, add the clasp, and that’s it!

Boelyn Bracelets

Posted on December 10, 2013 by hppiefrk

I came across a download for the Boelyn Bracelet, a project by Mandy Duffy from Bead and Button magazine. For some reason the “link” feature is not working for me today on WordPress, so I will say if you google “Boelyn Bracelet”, the second thing that comes up is the PDF download for this project.

The bracelet came out so nice, and is so sturdy feeling, that I am going nuts making these! I have 6 made so far, which has wiped out my stash of fire polished 6mm rounds. As soon as I get some more….back to the Boelyn bracelets! I saw some of these on Etsy for forty bucks!

Anyway it is not a difficult project – the most tedious part is the final embellishment, but even that is easy! This project uses about 22 6mm round beads, about double that of 4mm rounds, 20 or so fire polished beads, and then some of the SMALLER 11/0’s, and some 15/0’s.

You start out by making a simple Right Angle Weave bracelet of 4mm and 6mm rounds. I used approximately 22 6mm rounds to make a bracelet to fit my 7″ wrist.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: You MUST use SMALL 11/0 seed beads in this bracelet, like Czech beads. DO NOT use Toho or Delicas – it just doesn’t come out right. There is an editor note in the tutorial that says this exact thing. Of course, on the third bracelet I made I didn’t listen and used some Tohos, and ended up ripping the WHOLE bracelet apart. Those cheap Czech seed beads work PERFECTLY.

Anyway add three 11/0’s between each 4mm along the length of the bracelet on both sides. Only add two at the ends, on either side of the 6mm.

Next you need to add a 6mm fire polished bead along the top of the bracelet for the entire length. Come out of the first 4mm bead. String 3 11/0’s, 6mm fire polished, and 3 more 11/0’s.

Go across the bracelet to the corresponding 4mm on the other side, and go thru the bead with your needle exiting towards the end of the bracelet closest to you.

Add 3 more 11/0’s and go through the fire polished bead.

Add 3 more 11/0’s and go into the 4mm that you started at, this time exiting with the needle facing the other end of the bracelet, the end that is FARTHEST away from you.

Ta Daa! So you will have an X of seed beads joining this fire polished bead to the top of the bracelet. Go through the next 3 seed beads on the base of the bracelet, and go through the next 4mm. Repeat this for the entire length of the bracelet. You will have 2 less fire polished beads than you had 6mm rounds in the base.

At this point I added a clasp to one half. Coming out of the end 6mm base bead, string 3 11/0’s, a 4mm, one 11/0, half the clasp, one 11/0. Go back through the 4mm. Add 3 more 11/0’s and go back into the 6mm base bead on the opposite side you came out of. Continue on to the embellishment.

This is the only tedious part of the project, only reason being you have to sometimes work your needle in there to get into the correct beads. Between each fire polished bead you will have a ‘mountain’ of beads: 3 up, 3 down, 3 along the bottom, and 3 up the next side, etc. (I look at this part as coming up and down the side of a mountain). At the top of the mountain, You will add a 15/0 seed bead in a corresponding color.

I put a bigger bead on the top of this mountain so it would stand out – its the black one.

Then go down the mountain (thru all 3 beads going down). Pick up the CENTER bead of the 3 going across the bottom, and then UP only 2 of the 3 beads going up the next side. Add an 11/0, and go back to the first side of the mountain, going down the BOTTOM 2 of the 3 beads only. Grab that center bottom bead again, and go up all 3 beads of the second side of the mountain. Add your 15/0. Then repeat along the length of the bracelet.

The path you follow; blue first, then yellow.

Sounds confusing, but you get the hang of it after a few. When you get to the end of the first side, you can go ahead and add the other half of the clasp. Then go back and do the embellishment on the other side.

I can bang one of these out in about three hours. They’re so pretty! And they are so very sturdy and substantial feeling. One of my greatest fears is that something I make is going to fall apart so easily. And when I wear some of my earlier pieces, I HAVE HAD them break on me at work! Granted, I do a lot of physical labor things at work, but still….the number one self conscious reason I hesitate to sell things that I make is that I am terrified it will break on somebody. I am working on really finishing threads the correct way, and reinforcing clasps and whatnot. But this bracelet….I really feel good about it! I think this bracelet would make a wonderful gift for someone for Christmas.

Beaded Bracelet “Cyprus”

Posted on September 12, 2013 by hppiefrk

I made all three of these bracelets today…they work up very quickly and are pretty fun to do!

I came across this older post from Madame Bijou for her Cyprus bracelet. It didn’t take much thought to figure it out – she uses what looks like some 6/0 beads in her bracelet, I used some cubes to make the brick stitch triangles because I have so very, very many of them.

Make a brick stitch triangle with 7 cubes or beads on the bottom row, working up to two in the top row. Coming out of one of the two top cubes, make a loop of six 11/0 seeds to connect your jump ring and go back through the other top cube. Work the thread back down through the triangle and exit the first cube of the bottom seven.

Add your first row of beads – use bigger and different sized and colored beads, separated by two, three, or four 11/0 seeds. You will need to measure your clasp, and the size of your triangle. Add together the clasp size and the triangle size times two to figure out how long to make your connecting string of beads. I made some a bit longer than others (just a teeny bit) so that some of the strands overlapped – but you could make them all the same size if you want.

When you have your length of beads, start making the other triangle. Make a ladder stitch of seven cubes.

So make the other triangle, adding another loop of six seeds at the top to connect the other side of the clasp. Weave the thread back down the other side and come out at the end cube on the opposite side of where your bead string is.

Like this! Now just fill in the center five cubes going back and forth. I used about ten to fifteen seeds to begin and end each bead strand, and worked the bigger beads in to the middles. When you get to the end of a bead string, just go up into the cube you end at and come down out of the cube next door.

It’s really easy, and I love anything that uses up bead soup beads. The first one I made had silver cubes, black 8/0 seeds, and some assorted bicones and confetti glass beads. I made it a bit too short so I had to use a HUGE clasp.

Second bracelet used a blue colored mix of cubes, an 11/0 Czech seed bead mix called “ghostly apparition”, bicones and blue cats eye beads.

And the third bracelet used a white, silver, grey cube mix, the same Czech seeds, and some black and silver beads along with red cubes and red bicones. Again I messed up and made too short, so luckily I had another huge clasp on hand. These bracelets look quite fancy, but were really easy to make. I am still working on my bead weaving skills, so doing the brick stitch triangles with those big old cubes was great practice for me.

10 Minute Beaded Ring Tutorial

Posted on September 11, 2013 by hppiefrk

I found a tutorial for this easy pearl ring from The Heart Beading. They have a youtube video as well. It is SO easy, you can bang one out in about ten minutes. All you need is: some 11/0 seeds, one 10mm round, six 6mm rounds, and two 4mm rounds. I used fireline for these rings, thread made the ring feel very flimsy.

step one

On about a yard of fireline, string 3 6mm pearls and move to the center. Add 2 11/0 seeds to both threads.

step two

Cross through the 10mm pearl.

step three

Add 2 seed beads and 1 6mm to each thread; cross through the last 6mm left.

step four

Add 10 seed beads to each thread.

step five

Cross the threads through the 10mm, put the left string through the 10mm going right to left; put the right string through going left to right.

Halfway done!

The two rows of seed beads will cross each other.

step six

Add 10 seed beads to each thread and cross through the bottom (first) 6mm, crossing the strings again (putting left string through the 6mm right to left, right string thru left to right).

step seven

You will be coming out of the bottom 6mm. Pass each thread through the 6mm right above it. Add 2 seed beads, a 4mm, and 2 seed beads to each thread. Pass through the next 6mm up. These beads will sit to the left and right of the big 10mm center bead. Leave the threads where they come out.

step eight

Add 3 seed beads to each thread and cross through a seed bead. Continue doing this until you have the length you need to wrap around your finger.

step nine. Last step!

When you have the length you want, add 3 seeds to each thread and pass each thread into the corresponding 6mm on the other side of the ring. Work the threads through, tie off, and trim.

Voila!

That’s it! So easy. It’s nice sometimes to have a project that gives you almost instant satisfaction.

The top ring has a big opal bicone. The bottom ring uses those magic beads (miracle beads?) that intrigue me so.

The left ring used only 6 seed beads instead of 10, as I used smaller beads all around. The right ring used 10, even though I used smaller beads on this one as well, but I used Czech seed beads, which are way smaller.

I love the thought that I can literally make a ring in ten minutes that will EXACTLY match whatever I am wearing to work the next day!

Potawatomi Daisy Chain Tutorial

Posted on August 28, 2013 by hppiefrk

Daisy Chain beading is easy. Repetitive and easy and it makes such cute little bracelets, or necklaces, or ankle bracelets. Potawatomi daisy chains put a little line of leaves between each daisy. You can make your daisies all the same color, or alternate colors, or even make each one a different color!

Anyway the Potawatomi stitch is four basic motions, using minimum 3 colored beads: a petal bead, which is the petals of the daisy; a pollen bead, which is the center of the daisy, and leaf beads which are obviously the leaves. In this tutorial I am using green for the leaf beads, silver for the pollen beads, and alternating yellow and orange for the petal beads.