How to Make a Beaded Necklace for a Wine Bottle

Make a beaded necklace for a wine bottle to dress it up.

Beaders often look for new and unusual ways to dress up household items with beaded creations. Consider the standard wine bottle, for example. If you drape a beautifully beaded necklace around the neck of a wine bottle, you can instantly add a stylish and colorful touch to an ordinary item. With only novice beading skills and minimal time, make a beaded necklace for a wine bottle and dress up your next wine-drinking occasion.

Things You'll Need

• 2 headpins
• 2 large focal beads (8 to 10 mm)
• 2 round-nose pliers
• Beading wire (0.15 gauge)
• Wire cutters
• 2 crimp beads
• Crimping pliers
• Colorful beads (1 to 2 mm)

Instructions

1. Place a focal bead onto a headpin and push the bead down to the end of the headpin. Bend the headpin into a 90-degree angle with the round-nose pliers, approximately 1/4 inch above the bead. Grasp the headpin immediately after the angle you created and form it into a loop by twisting it with the pliers. When you have a circular loop, grasp the loop with one pliers and grasp the end of the headpin wire with the other pliers. Wrap the wire tightly around the base of the loop with the pliers, to make a wrapped loop. Cut off any excess headpin wire with the wire cutters. Repeat this process with the other headpin and focal bead. These beads will be the ends of your wine bottle necklace.

2. Cut a 24-inch-long length of beading wire with the wire cutters.

3. Thread a crimp bead onto one end of the beading wire and position the bead approximately 1 inch from the end of the wire. Thread the wire through the wrapped loop of one of the focal beads (from step 1) and then insert the wire back through the same crimp bead.

4. Position the crimp bead close to the wrapped loop. You should have a long length of beading wire and a short tail approximately 1/2 inch long extending out from the crimp bead. Crimp the crimp bead with the crimping pliers to secure this connection tightly. Cut off the short tail of beading wire with the wire cutters.

5. Thread beads onto the beading wire in a design you like. Continue adding beads to the beading wire until you have approximately 1 1/2 inches of empty wire remaining on the other end.

6. Repeat the same process to add a crimp bead, and add the remaining focal bead to the other end of the beading wire to finish the wine bottle necklace.

7. Fold the necklace in half and drape it around the neck of a wine bottle. Insert the two loose ends through the folded end of the necklace. Tighten the necklace as you desire so it sits on the wine bottle. The fold of the necklace will hold it in place with the ends of the necklace and the focal beads hanging attractively down the side of the wine bottle.

References

• "The Complete Guide to Beading Techniques"; Jane Davis; 2001