How to Make a Beaded Bracelet

Steps

1. 1. Cut and double the elastic, thread the needle

   Cut about a metre of 0.5mm beading elastic. That sounds like a lot for one bracelet, but you'll work with the cord doubled, and you want plenty of slack for tying the final knots.

   Tip: If you don't have a Tigertail needle, fold a 4-inch piece of beading wire in half and use the loop end as your needle eye.

   

2. 2. Tie a temporary stopper knot

   Hold the two free ends of the cord together and tie a simple overhand knot near the tips. This knot is temporary - it just keeps the cord from slipping back through the needle while you string beads.

   

3. 3. String the beads on a bead mat

   Lay your beads out on a bead mat in the order you want them. The mat keeps round beads from rolling, so you can work flat without chasing anything across the table.

   Tip: Use a soft fabric mat (felt or microfiber) rather than a hard tray. Beads roll on hard surfaces.

   

4. 4. Check the fit on your wrist

   Slide the needle off and pinch the two single strands together. Wrap the beaded section around your wrist to check the size.

   Tip: A good rule of thumb: the beads should overlap your wrist with no gap, but the elastic shouldn't visibly stretch.

   

5. 5. Cut off the stopper knot

   Once the size is right, cut the temporary overhand knot off the open end. You're left with two single strands at one end and a small loop at the other - the place where the doubled cord originally folded.

   

6. 6. Close the circle through the loop

   Take one of the two single strands at the open end. Pass it through the small loop at the other end, then pull both strands away from each other slowly.

   Tip: Pull slowly. Yanking can snap fine elastic.

   

7. 7. Tie five overhand knots that travel

   Tie a standard overhand knot with the two strands - left over right, through the middle. Pull firmly so the knot slides up against the beads, but stop before the elastic snaps.

   Tip: If the knots stack instead of traveling, you're not pulling hard enough between them. The tug is what slides each new knot down the line.

   

8. 8. Finish with surgeon's knots and bury inside a bead

   For the last two knots, switch to a surgeon's knot. Pass the strand through once, then bring the same end underneath and through a second time before pulling tight.

   Tip: If the knot won't go inside the bead, the bead hole is too small for the doubled elastic. Pick a slightly bigger bead at that position before you start.