How to Finish Bead Weaving a Bracelet

You can create beaded bracelets without a loom.

You can finish bead weaving a bracelet after you have sewn beads onto a loom. If you finish a beaded bracelet, you can create a durable and attractive piece of jewelry. You can use glass, crystal, metal or other types of beads to create a beaded bracelet. Wear a beaded bracelet with casual clothing at home, or wear it with a fancy, sophisticated outfit at a social event.

Things You'll Need

• Bead-weaving loom
• Beading needle
• Thread
• Scissors
• Masking tape
• Metal file
• Aluminum bracelet blank that is 1 inch shorter and narrower than the bracelet
• Leather backing material
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Slide the needle and thread through the next-to-last row of beads after you have finished sewing all the beads onto the loom. Pull the needle out of the row of beads. Cut the thread next to the last bead to finish the weaving. Cut the warp threads at the bottom of your loom with the scissors. Warp threads are the strings that are wrapped around the nails or pegs on your loom.

2. Pull on the cut strings gently until they are straight. Cut off a piece of masking tape that is twice as long as the width of the bracelet. Place the piece of masking tape below the beads. Wrap the tape around the warp threads so the beads do not fall off the loom. Trim any warp threads that stick out of the masking tape, and repeat this process on the other end of the beaded bracelet.

3. Rub the file over any sharp edges of the bracelet blank so they will not cut the bracelet threads. Wrap a piece of masking tape around the bracelet blank. Place a 1-inch strip of tape over each edge of the bracelet blank.

4. Place the bracelet blank in the middle of the underside of the bracelet so the long edges of the bracelet and blank are parallel. Fold the taped warp threads over the ends of the bracelet blank. Tape the taped warp threads in place over the bracelet blank with another piece of masking tape. Lay the bracelet and the blank over the leather backing material. Draw a line on the leather around each edge of the bracelet with the pencil.

5. Cut out the outline of the bracelet, and place the piece of leather under the bracelet blank. Cut a piece of thread that is twice as long as the length of the bracelet, and thread the needle. Hold the ends of the thread together. Tie a knot 1 inch above the ends of the thread. Stick the needle through a corner of the leather so the needle comes up between two outside rows of beads.

6. Place the needle on the outside edge of the outermost warp thread, and push it through the leather. Repeat this process along the long edges of the bracelet until the outside warp threads are sewn onto the leather. Knot the thread so the knot touches the bracelet. Cut the thread between the knot and the needle. Bend the bracelet over your wrist until it feels snug.

References

• Beadage: Beadweaving or Off-Loom Beadweak
• Bead Looms: Basic Beading Instructions
• Unique-Homemade-Gifts: Jewelry Making Beads