How to Make Bracelets

Your jewelry can make or break your outfit and learning how to make bracelets can definitely have a dramatic impact on your personal style. Having the right accessories in your collection is really something that you want to do to try to be as stylish as possible. However, trying to put together a great collection of accessories can be very expensive. One way that you can reduce that cost while also infusing your jewelry collection with personality is to make your own beaded bracelets. Not only is it fun, but it will really allow you to display your personal tastes on your arm.

Making beaded bracelets is really fairly easy, but the first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you have all of the right supplies. To begin jewelry making you will need to purchase special beading thread, clasps, bead tips, beading glue, scissors, long straight pins, and perhaps most importantly beads! When selecting the beads to buy have fun! Additionally you will want to have a flat work surface to make your jewelry on, and you should pull out some towels, scissors, and flat nosed pliers from around your house.

Once you have all of your supplies you are ready to get jewelry making. You need to decide how long you would like your bracelet to be. Typically, most bracelets are about seven inches in length, but if you are making an ankle bracelet you will want to add a few inches to that length.

From there you need to decide which beads you want to make your bracelet out of. This is really the creative part, and there are no set rules to this. A good rule of thumb is to space out some of the larger beads with smaller or “spacer beads” in between them. Additionally, you will need to choose which clasp you would like to use as well as the bead tips that you are going to use in your bracelet. You will need one clasp and two tips per bracelet.

To get started you will want to set your beads out on your workspace so that you can play with their order. Take the time to plan so that you are not frustrated later with things not working out the way that you had envisioned them.

Once you have your design laid out you need to get out your bead thread. Make a knot at the end of your bead thread and trim any excess. From there you will start to thread the bead tip onto the thread. After you get the first bead tip threaded you will want to pull out your glue so that you can place a small dot onto the knot that is resting against the opening of the bead tip. Once the glue has tried use your piers to press the open edges closed.

Now you are really ready to get started. Continue by threading your beads onto the bead thread. Once you have all of the beads on you will want to string on the remaining bead tip. Tie a knot and use your straight pin to move the knot into the open bead tip. Once it is set cut any excess thread and use those piers to again close the bead tip as you did the first one.

All that you have left to do is to affix the clasp. Take one side of the clasp and hook it onto a bead tip. Use your round nose pliers to secure it. Then do the same to the other side, and voila! You have learned how to make bracelets!