How to Bead an Eyeglass Chain

Prevent loss of your eyeglasses with an eyeglass chain. A beaded eyeglass chain is a beautiful accessory to pair with your clothing or mood. A handmade eyeglass chain is a nice gift idea for that special woman in your life. Children can also participate in this activity with supervision. Follow these steps to bead an eyeglass chain.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Beads
• Beading thread
• Eyeglass holders
• Crimp beads
• Needle nose pliers
• Super glue (optional)

1. Choose a pattern for your beads. Arrange them on a towel or a bead tray to prevent them from rolling away or getting mixed up.

2. Cut a piece of beading thread. It should be no shorter than 26 inches and no longer than 36 inches.

3. Put your thread through both a crimp bead and an eyeglass holder. Thread it back through the crimp bead and flatten the bead with your needle nose pliers.

4. String all of your beads on the thread. Hide the tail of your thread inside the first few beads. Check your chain for mistakes.

5. Slide another crimp bead onto your thread. Follow it with your second eyeglass holder.

6. Bring the thread back through the crimp bead and a few additional beads to keep it in place. Flatten the crimp bead and snip the tail of your thread.

7. Place one drop of super glue on the thread next to the crimp beads and allow to dry to increase the strength of your chain.

Tips & Warnings

• Test the length of your thread before making the chain to make sure it isn't too long or too short.
• Don't let children under the age of three help because beads pose a choking hazard.
• Don't let children use super glue.

[rosievelt]

on 11/10/2009 Just what I needed.