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Here’s how to make a bracelet using beading thread and a needle!
I’m loving using nylon beading thread at the moment, so I thought I’d make a tutorial showing how to use it to make a cute beaded bracelet! Here are all the instructions plus some affiliate links so you can buy the materials to make your own.
You’ll need these tools and materials to make this beaded bracelet:
1: Some nylon beading thread. I used some thread that was cut to about 1m long.
2: A clasp. I used this sterling silver parrot clasp.
3: A jump ring. I used a sterling silver jump ring.
4: Beads. I used these handmade polymer clay beads and some red glass seed beads.
5: Scissors to cut the thread.
6: Super glue.
7: A beading needle with a thin loop of thread tied around the bottom.
Follow these steps to make your beaded bracelet:
1: Fold the piece of thread in half, loop and knot it around the jump ring.
2: Slide the thread through the needle loop and begin adding beads.
3: Add beads in your desired pattern.
4: Once you have your bracelet at a length you like, tie a knot to the end so the beads won’t slide off.
5: Tie the end of the string to the jump ring on the parrot clasp, be sure to do a few knots and loops around the clasp for a strong tie.
6: Trim the excess thread.
7: Add a dab of superglue to each knot and set the bracelet aside to dry.
8: Once the superglue is dry, your bracelet is finished! How sweet is it to learn how to use new beading materials?
If you like using beading thread, here’s a tutorial that shows you how to use it to make a beaded necklace.
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Choosing bead stringing materials for your project…
Some people have strong preferences for the bead stringing materials they prefer to use when making their jewelry. I recommend playing around with different materials to find what you like using, but I thought I would share my thoughts on my preferred bead stringing threads. Please note that this blog post contains affiliate links.
I was inspired to write this post after finding this broken bracelet…
This bracelet was made from elastic thread tied to a jump ring at each end. When I found it, the elastic had broken or come undone at one end and there were beads spread all over the ground. I picked a few up to see if I could reuse them.
1: Beading elastic
Here’s where I introduce the first stringing material that I’ll be discussing here, clear beading elastic. There are a few pros and cons to using elastic, one pro is that it is easy to secure the ends closed and that elastic beaded bracelets are easy to put on, they stretch over your hand so you don’t have to fiddle with any clasps. A downside (a big one in my opinion) is that elastic isn’t very hardwearing or sturdy. Elastic stretches out and loses its elasticity over time, it can also snap or untie easily, so you end up with the situation pictured above.
If you want to try out beading on elastic, you can follow our tutorial for making a beaded elastic bracelet here. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, I’ve got some more bead stringing information for you below…
2: Tiger Tail wire
Another material that I often use for stringing beads is tiger tail wire. Tiger tail is a metal wire coated with nylon. It is flexible and can be bent into shapes. I find tiger tail wire a much stronger and sturdy material for beading compared to elastic. There are also a couple of cons to using tiger tail, you need a few more materials and tools to use it, and if you crease it, it is hard to get it back to its previous shape.
I have LOTS of tiger tail tutorials, so here’s one of my favorites that you can try out.
3: Nylon thread
A third bead stringing option is using nylon beading thread. This method is probably the most traditional and is useful when you are using delicate bead materials like pearls. Thread allows you to create knots between beads so that they don’t rub together on each other, knotting also means that if your piece does break, the beads won’t fall off and fly everywhere!
The downside of bead stringing onto nylon thread is that it can be a bit fiddly to work with and you need to use a needle to add beads to the string. Here’s a tutorial that shows you how to create a simple beaded necklace using nylon string.
Which bead stringing material do you like best?
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Here’s how to string beads onto nylon beading thread!
I’ve been experimenting with different stringing materials lately for my beaded designs and I’ve come to like working with nylon beading thread, so I thought I’d make a tutorial to show you all how to use it! In this tutorial I am going to make a simple beaded necklace using glass seed beads and polymer clay fruit beads for a fun and tropical look. Please note that this tutorial contains affiliate links.
You’ll need these tools and materials to make your beaded necklace:
1: Some nylon beading thread. You’ll need to cut a bit over double the length you want your necklace to be.
2: A beading needle with a thin loop of thread tied to it.
3: A sterling silver lobster clasp.
4: A sterling silver jump ring.
5: Superglue.
6: Beads. I used some polymer clay fruit beads and some clear silver lined glass seed beads.
7: Scissors to trim the thread.
Follow these steps to create your beaded necklace using nylon thread:
1: Fold the thread in half.
2: Loop the thread through the jump ring on the clasp and pull the ends back through.
3: Pull the loop tight.
4: Create another knot over the one you just made. If the knot is a little high, pull the strings apart carefully, making sure not to break the thread.
5: Loop the ends of the thread through the loop on the end of the needle.
6: Begin adding beads, pulling the beads gently over the thin thread and onto the necklace thread.
7: Add beads in the same manner in your chosen pattern until you have the length you want for your necklace.
8: Tie a knot at the end of the beaded section the same way you knotted the thread in step 4.
9: Slide the jump ring onto the thread.
10: Loop the thread through the ring again and then tie a knot below the jump ring. Do this one more time so that you have a secure knot.
11: Trim the excess thread.
12: If you feel like it, you can melt the extra thread using a lighter or match, but be careful not to break the thread or burn yourself.
13: Add a dab of superglue to the knots at each end of the necklace.
Now your necklace is finished and ready to wear!
If you don’t feel like making your own version of this necklace, you can purchase this one that I made here: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/891450996/fruit-necklace-fruit-bead-necklace?ref=shop_home_active_30&frs=1
Here are some other polymer clay fruit designs you can make:
