How to Make a Leather Cord & Beaded Wrap Bracelet

The quality of the beads will determine the look of your bracelet.

Beaded jewelry can provide an attractive addition to an outfit. Craft stores carry many different kinds of beads, including glass, crystal, stone, wood, metal and plastic. Adding a leather cord to the jewelry makes it more durable and adds a rugged flair to delicate beading. Prices vary if you search for these types of bracelets on the Internet or at your local craft bazaar, but you can purchase around $5 worth of supplies and have enough to make two or three leather cord and beaded wrap bracelets.

Things You'll Need

• Leather cord
• Beading thread
• Scissors
• Beading needle
• Beads
• Vice
• Binder clips
• Dowel rods
• Styrofoam core

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of slender leather cord two-and-one-half times the circumference of your wrist. Cut a 4-foot length of beading thread and thread it into a beading needle small enough to easily pass through the hole in your beads.

2. Fold the leather cord in half and tie a small single knot 3/8-inch from the end of the leather loop. Thread the beading thread into the leather knot, wrapping it around the cord securely before knotting the thread to the cord with a double knot. Secure the knotted end of the cord to a stationery object, such as a small vise, and clip each free end of the cord to its own dowel rod secured in a single Styrofoam core. Maintain the space between the two dowels the same length as your bead circumference.

3. Wrap the beading thread under the left cord length and into the hole of your first bead. Loop the beading thread over the right cord length and pull it snug against both pieces of cord when you pass the beading thread back through the bead hole.

4. Exit the first bead and loop the beading thread under and around the left cord. Add your second bead to the thread. Repeat the process until you have enough beads to equal the circumference of your wrist. Use the beading thread to pull the two leather cords snugly to the bracelet with each added bead to ensure a tight fit around your beads.

5. Tie the two leather cord ends together with a double knot when you reach your desired length. Wrap the beading thread in and through the knot, securing it in several places in the knot. Make a second single knot in the leather 1/4 inch beyond the first knot and secure it with beading thread before clipping your beading thread. Slide the first knot into the loop at the other end of the bracelet and adjust the size of the knot so it passes into the loop snuggly and the loop rests between the two knots. Make the knot bigger by inserting one of the cords into the knot a second time or by wrapping more beading thread in and around the knot until it fits more snuggly into the loop. Reduce the knot by pulling the knot tighter. Dot each knot with a drop of multipurpose white glue to reinforce the knots, and allow the glue to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep steady tension on your leather cord and your beading thread to prevent knots and loose beads.