How to Make a Leather and Bead Wrap Bracelet By Chris Franchetti Michaels Beadwork Expert Share Pin

1. Gather Your Materials

Beads

You can use any colors of 4mm Czech fire polished glass beads and magatamas for your bracelet. I chose three specialty finish colors for the Czech beads.
The quantities below are per 7 inches of bracelet band. For a longer band, divide the total inches by 7, and multiply that number by the quantities below.
4mm round Czech fire polished beads:

15 of color A (I used olivine copper)
15 of color B (I used HurriCane raspberry mint ice cream)
15 of color C (I used aquamarine celsian)

Look for these or similar colors online at Fusion Beads or Beadaholique.
3mm Magatamas:

12-15 of color D (I used opaque turquoise)
12-15 of color E (I used gold luster green tea)

Look for these or similar magatamas at Artbeads.com.

Supplies

6-pound black FireLine beading thread
Size 10 beading needle
2mm round Greek leather black cord*
Sturdy side cutters (also called flush cut wire cutters)
An office clipboard
Masking tape or painter's tape
A measuring tape
Ruler or yard stick (to measure the leather cord)
Thread burner
17mm antiqued pewter round leaf print button (I ordered mine at Beadaholique)
Optional: C-Lon beading cord in black.

*Look for Greek leather cord at Rings&Things or Fusion Beads.

Bulk Greek leather cord - Bulk Greek leather cord. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. Bulk Greek leather cord.

2. Measure and Cut the Leather Cord

Start by wrapping a measuring tape around your wrist as many times as you'd like wraps in your bracelet. Adjust the tape so that it looks just a little looser than you want your bracelet. (Be aware that the thickness of the beads has the effect of subtracting some of the length.) Take that measurement.
For the bracelet in the example, my measurement was about 22 inches.
Add 12 inches (30.5 cm) to your measurement, and then double that number. This is the length of leather cord you should cut. This is a little more cord than you'll actually use, but gives you plenty of room to make the final knots.
Example:
Wrist measurement: 21 inches
21 + 12 = 33 inches
33 x 2 = 66 inches of cord
Cut the cord with side cutters.

The button strung on the leather - The button strung on the leather. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. The button strung on the leather.

3. String the Button

Thread the cord up through one hole in the button and down through the other. Make adjustments until the button is centered on the cord.
Optional: If you'd like, you can tie a tight overhand knot with the cords just below the button. From my experience, this is mostly a question of aesthetics; I haven't noticed any real difference in the way the bracelets lie with and without the knot. (Also see my optional wrapping method in Step 17.)

The leather clipped and the thread tied on - The leather clipped and the thread tied on. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. The leather clipped and the thread tied on.

4. Secure the Cord on the Clipboard and Begin the Thread

Clamp the button end of the cord beneath the clip on your clipboard.
Use the side cutters to cut a strand of FireLine that is at least two arm's spans long. (Longer thread is more difficult to work with, but reduces the number of times you need to start a new thread.)
Thread the needle for double-strand beading, but do not attach a bead stop.
Bring the ends of the thread together, and use a square knot to tie them around one strand of the leather cord close to the clip on the clipboard. Leave a pair of thread tails at least eight inches long, so that you can weave them into the beads later to hide them.
Tip: If you're right handed, tie your thread onto the left cord (as shown); if you're left handed, tie it onto the cord on the right hand side.
Use a piece of tape to tack down the thread tails.

First bead in position - Press each bead up between the leather cords with your finger as you make each stitch. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. Press each bead up between the leather cords with your finger as you make each stitch.

5. String and Position the First Bead

Pick up 1A with the needle, and slide it all the way down on the thread. (Alternatively, you can hold the bead in place with one hand and use your other hand to pull the thread thread through it.)
Pass the needle beneath both strands of leather cord, and use your finger to push the bead up between them.
Because I'm right-handed, I passed my thread beneath the cords from left to right. If you're left handed, you should pass them under from right to left.

Thread path for stitching the first bead - Thread path for stitching the first bead. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. Thread path for stitching the first bead.

6. Make the First Stitch

Pass the needle back through the bead on top of both leather cords.
Use your fingers to hold the bead in place while you pull the thread taut. Pull slowly to avoid tangles, and make sure that both strands of your double strand of thread pull down snugly against the leather cord. If the thread does begin to tangle, stop and straighten it out before the knot tightens down.

The first bead stitched on - The first bead stitched on. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. The first bead stitched on.

7. Scoot Up the First Bead

Slide the first bead a little closer to the clip on the clipboard. Do this for the first few beads that you stitch so that your beadwork begins relatively close to the button.

Thread path for the second bead - Thread path for the second bead. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. Thread path for the second bead.

8. String the Second Bead

Pick up 1B and slide it down. Pass the needle and thread beneath both strands of leather cord again, and use your finger to push the bead up between the cords.

Thread path for the third bead - Thread path for the third bead. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. Thread path for the third bead.

9. Make the Second Stitch

Pass back through the beads, and slowly pull the thread taut again.

©Chris Franchetti Michaels.

10. Stitch the Third Bead

Use the same technique to string and stitch 1C.
Continued on page 2

Updated October 22, 2015.

The pattern motif - Repeat this motif to bead the pattern. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. Repeat this motif to bead the pattern.

11. Keep Stitching Beads

Stitch another set of 1A, 1B, and 1C, and then stitch a group of 3D (as if they were a single bead).
Stitch two more sets of 1A, 1B, and 1C (for a total of six beads), and then stitch a group of 3F.
Alternate between those two sequences as you continue to stitch beads.
Stop and end the thread (see the next step) when you only have eight inches remaining to work with, and end with a 4mm fire polished bead. In the example, I completed almost nine inches of beadwork before I arrived at this point.

Weaving-in to end the thread - Weaving-in to end the first thread. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. Weaving-in to end the first thread.

12. End the Old Thread

To weave-in your old thread, turn the beadwork over and pass the needle back through the last bead that you stitched. By turning the beadwork over, you are stitching beneath the leather cords, rather than than on top of them.
Tie a half-hitch knot over the thread exiting the bead you just passed through.
Turn the beadwork over so that it is right side up again, and pass back through the bead again, on top of the leather cords.
Turn the beadwork over again and pass back through the bead on that side.
Turn it back over, right side up, and pass through the bead one last time.
Use a thread burner to trim both strands of thread close to where they exit the bead.

A new thread begun and another bead stitched - A new thread begun and another bead stitched. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. A new thread begun and another bead stitched.

13. Start a New Thread

Prepare a new length of thread and tie it onto the leather cord, just like you did in Step 4. Continue where you left off stringing beads. We'll come back and weave-in the thread tails later.

Both ends of the completed beadwork - Both ends of the completed beadwork. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. Both ends of the completed beadwork.

14. Complete the Beading

Keep beading, stopping to add a new thread whenever your old thread begins to run out. For my multi-wrap bracelet, I needed to add thread a few times. As the band starts to become long, take the time to stop occasionally and check its length by wrapping it around your wrist.
Tip: At this point, you may feel comfortable working with the bracelet removed from the clip board.
The point at which you stop adding beads is a bit of a judgment call. I stopped when the band felt loose enough to wear comfortably and there was a gap of about 1.5 inches between the last bead at the end and the button at the beginning when I wrapped the band around my wrist.

The thread tails are now woven-in and trimmed - The thread tails are now woven-in and trimmed. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. The thread tails are now woven-in and trimmed.

15. Weave-In the Thread Tails

Go back and weave-in and trim all of the remaining tails of beading thread. Try to thread both strands of each tail through the eye of your needle; if you have trouble, feel free to weave them in one at a time.
To weave-in, use the technique you used in Step 12 to end the first thread.

The end knots tied - The end knots tied. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. The end knots tied.

16. Tie the End Knots

Tie an overhand knot with both strands of leather cord close the last bead in your band, and use your fingers to cinch it down as tight as you can.
Using the button as a measuring guide, begin a second overhand knot. I usually make the space between the two knots slightly longer than the diameter of the button, but some designers make it even longer.
Cinch down the second knot, being careful not to make the space between the knots too small for the button. Double check the fit with your button one last time before cinching down the second knot as tight as you can.

The cords wrapped with C-Lon cord below the button - The cords wrapped with C-Lon cord below the button. — ©Chris Franchetti Michaels. The cords wrapped with C-Lon cord below the button.

17. Optional: Wrap the Cord Below the Button

Recall that in Step 1 I mentioned that you can tie a knot below the button on your cord. Another option is to wait until your beadwork is complete, and then wrap a strand of C-lon beading cord around both leather cords several times. Tie off the C-lon cord with a square knot, and use scissors to trim it.
This gives the button end of the bracelet a more finished appearance, and encourages the final wrap to lie flat against your wrist -- without the added bulk of another knot in the leather cord.

18. Complete Your Bracelet

Use side cutters to trim the two loose ends of leather cord at least one inch away from the second knot.
That's it! Your bracelet is now ready to wear.

Мнемоси́на - Μνημοσύνη

четверг, 25 февраля 2016 г.