Photos
and instructions by Shayna Butler
nativebloomstudios.blogspot.com
nativebloom@outlook.com
Tools:
Two
pairs of pliers, any kind
A pair
of wire cutters, flush cutters, or old scissors
Tape
measure or ruler
Plastic
or wooden bowl
Crimp tool
Optional
– bead tray
Materials:
20
grams E beads
20
grams seed beads
Natural
stone chip beads
Glass
focal beads
Wire (I
use Beadalon .018 inches)
Bead or
tube crimps
Crimp
covers
Small
jump rings
Medium
rings
Large
chain
One
lobster clasp
One
toggle clasp
Wrap Bracelet Instructions
Step
One: Cut two lengths of wire, each about 4 to 6 inches longer than you want
your finished product to be. You might
want to give yourself 6 inches if you are a beginner.
I
wanted my finished necklace to be about 20” and my wrap bracelet to be about
36” so my pieces were cut to 24” and 40”.
Step
Two: Use a crimp to add a medium jump ring to one end of the 40” wire. First slide the crimp bead onto the wire,
then the jump ring, the thread the wire around and back into the crimp
bead.
Slide
the crimp down close to the end of the wire and position both parts of the wire
side by side. Make sure one does not
overlap the other inside the crimp.
The
crimp tool has two slots; the one on the outside looks like two half circles,
and the one on the inside has a notch on one side. First you will need to close the crimp using
the inside notch. This will separate the
wires.
Then
you will need to finish closing the crimp with the outside slot.
I like
to cover my crimps with a crimp cover.
It protects the crimp and gives your piece a finished look. Place the crimp cover over the crimp. Make sure the wire lines up in the groves of
the crimp cover and close it gently with your pliers. If you have nylon covered pliers use them to
keep from scratching this crimp cover.
If not, be gentle and use smooth pliers instead of pliers with teeth.
Use the
wire cutters (or scissors) to trim the tail of the wire. Leave enough tail to string about two or
three E beads over. If you cover the
wire you will not have to worry about it slipping or sticking out and poking
you.
Step
Four: String the beads on the wire. I strung about two and a half inches of E
beads, then one glass focal bead, 2 ½” E beads, 1 focal bead, and so on until I
reached the desired length. The last
group of E beads I had to make about three and a half inches to make it the
right length. I held the end of my wire
to keep the beads on and wrapped the bracelet around my wrist to make sure it
wrapped around enough times, and that it did not have a gap too big for it to
fit like I wanted it. I left about one
and a half inches for the clasp and jump ring.
I knew if I did not the necklace might be too loose.
Step
Five: Once you have measured your
bracelet out and double checked it on your wrist, it is time to close it
off. First you will need to add a small
jump ring to your lobster clasp. Then slide
on a crimp bead, the jump ring/clasp combo, and slide it back through the crimp
bead and into two E beads. Pull the wire
close to the jump ring but not too tight.
Line the wires up side by side and close the crimp bead with the crimp
tool. Cover with a crimp cover.
Step
Six: Attach an extender chain to the
medium jump ring on the other end of the wrap bracelet. This will give you a bit of room to make your
bracelet looser. You will also be able
to wear this as a necklace, so you can use this to adjust the length. Five to six links should do, but I ended up
adding about ten to mine so I can wear it around my ankle too. Add a charm or beaded headpin to the last
link for a decorative touch.
Toggle Clasp Necklace Tips
You
will use the instructions above to create your toggle clasp necklace, but a few
things will be different. Make sure to cut
the wire shorter. I cut my wire to 24”
because I wanted my finished necklace to be 20 inched long. Second, make sure not to secure the wire too
close to the toggle. It will need to
rotate to fit through the other end of the clasp, and if the wire it too tight
it will not be able to move freely.
You
will also need to make sure the wire will double through the seed beads. If it does not, add two or three matching E
beads to the start and finish of the necklace rather than cut the tail
off. My wire went through my seed beads without
a problem. Also, make sure not to put
any large beads close to the toggle or the opening will not slide down the
necklace far enough to let you close the clasp.
For my
necklace I did about two and a half inches of seed beads, then a pattern of
chip bead, seed bead, chip bead, seed bead until I achieved the desired
result. I alternated lengths of 1 ½”, 2”,
and 2 ½” seed beads in between each group of chip beads. I wanted the necklace to be a bit asymmetrical,
so I did not space the pattern precisely.
Since
you will not be able to add an extender, it is important that you carefully
measure the length of this necklace and check it on your neck before you close
it off.
My
necklace ended up being the perfect length to wrap around my wrist three times
(and around my ankle twice).
I hope
you enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an
email at nativebloom@outlook.com. For a PDF version, click HERE, and if you
want to check out the video follow THIS LINK.
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