Posts Tagged ‘hand beaded bracelet’
Blessings Bracelet, Part 2
The blessings bracelet that I spoke of in the last post is done now. It's in shades of purple and green, with accents of pink and a kind of butter-cream ivory.
So here are the supplies, the finished product and the general technique.
Blessings Bracelet Supplies
As you see in the photo, the supplies are kind of eclectic. I have seed beads, lampwork beads, Swarovski in bicone and cube. Sterling silver is in the bunch, as is gemstone beads in malachite, rhodochistite and jasper.
The clasp is a sterling toggle. I used Soft Flex beading wire for the main part of the bracelet, and Fireline 8 lb. in crystal for the stranding portion.
The Finished Product
As you can see, I don't necessarily favor being symmetrical. As in my lampwork, I prefer to be a bit of a free spirit and favor organic designs.
One thing that's very important in this particular bracelet is that you have to measure carefully, but you also have to keep it very loose for the main part of the bracelet. You'll see why when I talk about the construction technique.
General Technique
First, using the Soft Flex I beaded the main portion of the bracelet in a single row. Between the lampwork beads I put seven size 6 seed beads.
I kept the construction very loose at this point, with beading wire showing. The reason is that I will be moving my needle between and around the seed beads, and I need some slack.
Once I had the main part of the bracelet done and crimped, I started with the stranding section. I tied my Fireline (doubled for strength) between two beads on the "outside" of the lampwork beads. I then threaded the needle through the beads until I came out through a lampwork bead.
At this point, I put random beads on my string and threaded them around and through the size six seed beads. The reason I chose this size seed beads is because they have a very large hole, and can accommodate many passes through of the thread and needle.
And that's basically it. I just added beads until (in this case) I ran out of thread. You could do that, or create a more symmetrical stranding and stop sooner.
I hope you've enjoyed this, and so I'll leave you with some lampwork that's awfully pretty to look at.
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 Lori Robbins Handmade Lampwork sra Boro Beads C023049  US $24.99
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 RAKU BLACK GOLD SPACER GLASS LAMPWORK BEAD SET SRA 490 US $9.99
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 MURANO MORETTI HANDMADE LAMPWORK GLASS BEADS SRAH160 US $24.99
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 DINKY BEADS Tulips set of 19 lampwork beads SRA US $19.99
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 20 Hearts a plenty lampwork beads by RJF SRA US $25.00
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Do You Have a Blessings Bracelet?
My friend Jennie mentioned the concept of a "blessings bracelet" to me a few months ago. It's a bracelet that, whenever you look at it, it reminds you of your blessings.
I know, in today's world it's hard to come up with anything to consider a blessing -- sometimes it all seems so bleak. But a blessings bracelet serves to remind us that life can be good, if we'd take the time to remember the little things.
Count 'Em Up
I thought that a bracelet would be a good idea, so I started on something simple that I could wear every day. I got about half-way through and then realized that if it was too simple, I wouldn't notice it. And if I didn't notice it...how would I remember to count my blessings?
So, back to the drawing board.
Meanwhile, Jennie was working away at hers. Periodically she'd ask how mine was going and tell me the status of hers.
Then there was the day the photos came. Wow! (FYI - you can click on the photos to see a larger image.)
In case you haven't followed along, Jennie and I live at opposite ends of the country, so photos are all we have to go by. And when she sent me the photos of hers I felt so bad that I hadn't worked on mine.
So here are the photos of Jennie's bracelet, and I will be hard-pressed to come up with something even half as nice. I'm staring at my pile of lampwork and Swarovski (in purples and greens -- how's that for a color combo) and trying to think of what I can do.
Hmmm, the sterling beads have gone into hiding somewhere in this room, but I did find some toggle clasps. And yes, I have beading wire...oh no! I just realized that wherever my sterling beads are, that's where all my crimps are.
Yes, this is going to get interesting.
Well, off to locate the silver beads and wayward crimps. Once I have them all together, I'll take a photo of all the "fixings" so you can see the supplies before...and the finished bracelet after.
In the meanwhile, I'll leave you with some ebay eye candy to peruse - enjoy!
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 BL1826 Italian Murano Lampwork Glass Charm Bracelet US $4.99
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 BL1859 Silver Foil Flower Murano Glass Charm Bracelet US $4.99
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 Silver Charm Bracelet Victorian Bridal Queen Cameo Set US $40.00
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 BL1922 Italian Murano Glass Bead Pandora Style Bracelet US $6.50
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 New Red Millefiori Lampwork Swarovski Crystal Bracelet US $10.50
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Hand Beaded Bracelet, Turquoise and Silver
A hand beaded bracelet is fun to make (or at least I think so). This kind in the photo takes me about 2.5 hours, start to finish, due to the number of strands I use (I like more substantial bracelets in general).
Hand Beaded Bracelet, Sterling and Turquoise (Click to Enlarge)
I think I used either 8 or 10 strands for this bracelet, strung with a mixture of seed beads (size 15, 11 and 8), sterling silver, turquoise and quartz crystal. The finish is sterling silver cones and a lobster-claw clasp.
OK, I started out making this bracelet for myself, but now I'm not quite sure what to do with it. Why? Because I made it a little too long (argh). Since I've lost weight, I'm tending to make the bracelets at my old wrist size -- haven't gotten used to the new one yet.
So I'm thinking that if I add another strand or two and braid them in, I can make the bracelet a bit shorter, by maybe half an inch. That would be just about enough for a nice fit (slightly loose).
(Of course if anyone wants to buy it and give it a home, let me know before I decide what to do with it.) 
I don't in general do a lot of seed beading in strand form, but every so often I like to make bracelets like this. It's just something different that you won't find in a store. It's also in my signature organic style, which I can't seem to get away from (even my peyote bracelets end up with an organic look and feel).
Anyway, catch up with you again later! Oh, and feel free to leave me a comment -- always enjoy hearing from you folks.
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