How to Make an Elastic Cord Bracelet With Crimp Beads

Using crimp beads with elastic cording is a useful technique.

Working with elastic cord gives you the freedom to work with only a few tools and without worrying about sizing. If you use crimp beads with elastic cord, you eliminate the need for knots and beading glue and you give your pieces a professional, finished appearance. Choose some gorgeous beads and two crimp beads that are large enough to fit the elastic cording and make an elastic cord bracelet with crimp beads.

Things You'll Need

• Elastic cording
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• 2 crimp beads
• Crimping pliers
• 60 to 70 beads (4 to 8mm)
• Bead board (optional)
• One focal bead

Instructions

1. Cut a 12-inch-long piece of elastic cording to make a double-strand bracelet.

2. Determine the arrangement of your beads. Use a bead board (if you wish) to lay out your beads and experiment with different arrangements. Keep rearranging the beads until you have the beads in an order you like.

3. Add all of the beads to the elastic cording in the order you arranged in step 2. Stop adding beads when you have approximately 1 inch of free cording on each end of the beads (without stretching).

4. Insert one end of the elastic cording through both holes on the back of the focal bead (from the right side). Add a crimp bead to the elastic cording and position the crimp bead between the two holes on the focal bead. Pass the elastic cording back through one hole of the focal bead (so it loops around the bead in the process) and back through the crimp bead. Pull the elastic cording taut and crimp the crimp bead to hold the cording in place around the focal bead. Trim the end of the cording off flush with the crimped crimp bead.

5. Repeat step 4 with the other end of the elastic cording and the focal bead---except enter the focal bead holes from the left side. Pass the elastic cording through the holes, position this crimp bead in the same place and crimp the crimp bead the same way you crimped the first crimp bead. This finishes the bracelet.

References

• Rings and Things: Stringing Materials