It doesn’t matter what winter holidays you or your friends celebrate – it doesn’t even matter if you live someplace where it doesn’t snow – this beaded bracelet is appropriate throughout the winter. If you’ve beaded even a simple strand of seed beads, you know that the tiny beads can be challenging to work with. This pattern shows you how to make snowflake motifs throughout the bracelet. Whether or not you’ve done beading in the past, be patient with this project.
Beading Craft Supplies
Look for these materials in the jewelry-making section of your local craft store. For the bracelet, you will need
- Nylon cord
- A flexible beading needle
- Clasp
- Seed beads (see the description of color pattern options)
- Scissors
- Clear fingernail polish
Color Options for Winter Jewelry Making
You could make a few snowflake bracelets and each time use a different color pattern. If you aren’t certain what colors you want to use, string on beads, make one snowflake and then add several more beads. If you don’t like the colors, you haven’t wasted much time, just cut the cord and reuse the beads.
- You can make your bracelet just using white beads or silver seed beads.
- Make the snowflakes with silver beads and the rest of the bracelet with white beads. Or do the reverse so your snowflakes are white.
- Set off white snowflakes with light blue or royal blue beads.
- Make the center of a white snowflake silver.
- Try opalescent beads instead of white beads.
How to Make a Bracelet with Seed Beads
- Cut a piece of nylon cord that is six times as long as you need for your bracelet.
- Thread the cord through the beading needle and pull it to the middle of the cord. The cord will be doubled with the ends even.
- Thread the loose ends through the loop of one side of the jewelry clasp. Leave a 5-inch tail and tie the clasp in place with a double knot.
- String ten seed beads onto the cord so they come against the clasp. Use your background (non-snowflake) color.
- String on six beads in the color you’ve selected for your snowflake. To form the snowflake, bring the needle back to the first snowflake bead and poke through that bead. Pull the cord so it’s close. This forms a circle.
- Take another snowflake bead and string it onto the cord. Pass the needle through the fourth bead in the circle. Aim the needle away from the clasp. As you pull the cord, the center of your snowflake is filled.
- Tug the cord a bit to make sure there are no gaps in the snowflake or between the chain of ten beads and the snowflake.
- Repeat the pattern of ten beads and then a snowflake until the bracelet is as long as you need it to be. End with a string of ten beads.
- Send the needle twice through the loop at the other end of the clasp. Slide the needle through the last three or four beads so to further anchor the cord. Tie a double knot between the beads. Clip off the needle.
- Reattach the needle through the tails of cord you left at the beginning. Repeat the previous step, guiding the cord through a few beads.
- Dab some clear nail polish on the knots. When it is dry, trim the excess cord.
You’ve completed your first snowflake bracelet! Chances are that as you worked along the bracelet you could go faster after you learned the pattern. Make more bracelets for your friends or family members using the same color pattern you chose or try another pattern.
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