How to Make a Watchband Using Beads

Watchbands are generally made of leather or steel, adding style and elegance to watch faces. In contrast, beaded watch bands bring a relaxed, handcrafted look to watch faces. With a vast array of beads available in materials such as glass, metal and clay, beaded watchbands can be as conservative or wild as your imagination allows. Adding bead--spacing items such as buttons, washers and custom jewelry spacers adds an interesting twist to your design possibilities. Beaded watchbands are easy to make, requiring a minimum amount of tools and supplies to create a beautiful handmade band.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Watch face
• Beads (varying sizes and materials)
• Spacers
• Jump rings
• Stretch elastic cord
• Super glue
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Cloth tape measure

1. Measure your wrist with a cloth tape measure. Add at least 1/2 inch to your measurement to ensure a comfortable fit. Using a ruler and pencil, transfer this measurement to a sheet of paper, marking two end lines.

2. Place your watch face at one end mark with its top (12 o'clock) facing the mark. Position the top watchband pin directly on the mark. Arrange the beads and spacers you have chosen between the opposite watchband pin and the second end mark.

3. Remove the pins from your watch face. Slide on as few or as many jump rings as you prefer. Make sure the jump rings you use are large enough that they provide enough space for both the watch pin and the elastic cord.

4. Cut a piece of elastic cord that is twice the length of your initial wrist measurement. Add two inches to the measurement to allow for mishaps or adjustments. Run one end of the cord through the jump rings on one of the watch pins.

5. Thread the beads and spacers onto the elastic cord, making sure you feed both strands of the cord through each bead.

6. Run one of the cord ends through the jump rings at the other end of the watch face and feed it back through the beads until you reach a bead with a larger center hole that will accommodate a knot. Pull the other end of the cord back through the beads until it slips out of the bead with the larger center hole you have selected.

7. Tie the cord ends together in a loose knot and test the fit of the watchband. If it is too tight, you will need to add a bead or two. If you are happy with the fit, untie your temporary knot and make a tight square knot. Cut off the loose ends of the cord.

8. Place a drop of super glue on the knot to secure it and tuck the knot into the large bead.

Tips & Warnings

• Check all beads and spacers to ensure their holes are burr--free. Burrs or other obstructions make threading beads difficult and often wear through and break elastic cord. Ensure that the outer surfaces of metal spacers positioned next to beads (especially glass beads) are burr--free so they don't damage the beads.
• Super glue bonds skin and is painful to remove. Be careful handling the bottle. One drop, allowed to dry sufficiently, should be enough.

References

• How to Make a Watchband with Beads