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A wire bracelet featuring beaded beads



Last week I showed you how to make beaded beads using the Cellini spiral peyote stitch.  I made a total of three, using the same palette of beads, since I knew I wanted to use them in a wire bracelet project.  I want to share that with you today, but you can alter almost everything about this piece to suit yourself: the colors, the wire gauges, the bead sizes, the exact placement of components.  Make it your own!  Just make sure that the gauge of the bracelet armature is heavy enough to hold its shape, and that the wrapping wire is a thinner gauge (which means a higher gauge number).


Here's what I used:

3 Beaded beads, shown last week
9" 12 gauge wire for the bracelet, 5 1/2" for the clasp
Spool of 22 or 24 gauge wire for wrapping (I used 24)
Size 11/0 seed beads

Tools:
Wire cutters
Flat nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Small file
Measuring tape



1. Cut about 2 yards of your smaller wire and start wrapping the middle of the core wire from the middle of the wrapping wire.  Work towards one end at a time.  Add seed beads to some sections of wire (this is about 2" worth of size 11/0 seed beads before they are wrapped).  Slide the smaller wire through the beaded beads along with the core wire and start wrapping on the other side.



2. Work in a similar fashion towards the other end, wrapping the smaller wire several times to anchor at each end.  Don't worry if the beaded beads slide around a bit...that will be fixed in the next step.


3. Using the leftover wire, wrap back and forth across the seed bead coil and the first layer of wire wrapping.  Tuck and bury the end of the wire in the loose coil.  To do the center portion, cut a new piece of wrapping wire, about 2' long.  If you are able to, thread it through the center beaded bead and work from both ends, back and forth across the middle coils.  If you can't get it through, just cut the wire in two and do each part separately, burying the ends in the loose coils.



4. Turn a loop on the ends of the bracelet wire, trim and file smooth.  Create a fancy hook that is large enough to make the bracelet the proper size for you.  Instructions for this particular hook clasp are at the link.



This post contains affiliate links: Beadaholique


Copyright 2016 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.


Comments

Eileen Bergen said…
Just lovely, Cyndi!