How to Make Beaded Bracelets

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Bracelets, Bracelets, and More Bracelets!

Summertime seems like the perfect time to shed those long sleeves and layer up the jewelry on our arms. In celebration of the season ahead, we’re pulling out the stops and sharing free instructions on how to make beaded bracelets.

First up, this great new free digital download includes instructions on how to make rope bracelets and designs using peyote and right-angle weave. Quadrille bracelet, by Sandie Bachand, is also in this new download. This design is made using right-angle weave and circular netting, and has the added bonus and bling of rose montées stitched down the center. Yummy!

Looking for information on how to make beaded bracelets? Are you ready to try new bead-weaving patterns or stitch up and create a new bracelet to wear to work or a fun event on your calendar? Or, maybe you want to stitch up a handmade beaded bracelet gift for someone special? Whatever your reason is for wanting to bead today, Beading Daily has compiled these free, handmade beaded bracelet patterns to inspire you and fuel your creativity.

Delve into the beautiful, beaded netting design “Clinging Vine Bracelet,” and create a sparkling rope that would look great in any color crystal beads you choose to use. Or make one in every color to have a whole beaded ropes collection! Try your hand at one of the popular peyote stitch designs, “Chance for Romance.” This peyote stitch bracelet embellished with a fringe bead picot trim creates a very feminine touch. Rose montées create the center of the beautifully stitched flowers in “Quadrille Bracelet.” This bracelet design is made using a combination of right-angle weave beading and a variation on circular bead netting.

Learn how to make beaded bracelets with these FREE projects:

Lacy Beaded Bracelet

Chance for Romance by Melissa Grakowsky Shippee
This romantic-looking beaded bracelet pattern, inspired by Victorian-era trims and jewelry, is a cinch to stitch with the peyote stitch. Don’t be fooled by its delicate good looks; the lacy beading is worked off a sturdy base.

Spiral Netted Rope Beaded Bracelet

Clinging Vine Bracelet by Cristie Prince
Stitch a pretty spiral netted rope, fill it with memory wire, and add crystal embellishments to the ends to form this sophisticated and versatile beaded bracelet design. This design also makes a great beaded lariat; just stitch the rope long enough to drape around your neck. Omit the memory wire/tubing base, add an extra round of peyote-stitched cubes, and add an extra round of large fringe.

Sparkling Beaded Bracelet

Quadrille Bracelet by Sandie Bachand
Sparkling rose montées nestled in a circular bed of two-hole lentil beads and tiny pearls make this bracelet fun to stitch and comfortable to wear.

In addition to these great designs on how to make beaded bracelets, I’m happy to share the bead-weaving tutorial for this beaded bracelet:

This prismatic right-angle weave design (PRAW) is made for an upcoming TOHO event. In advance of their event, TOHO sent new beads to their guest so they can make and wear a design to the party. The exciting twist? The beads glow in the dark!

If you’re not familiar with PRAW, it’s basically done the same way as CRAW (Cubic Right-Angle Weave) just not done on a base of four beads (which creates a cube). Rather, PRAW is done on a base of any bead count other than four. In the case of this design, we’re working in a round of five. Here’s a little more on the stitch: What is Prismatic Right Angle Weave?

Please note: The terms I’m using are those used by others who are experts on CRAW and PRAW—much of my inspiration and phrasing comes from Marcia DeCoster as I’ve poured over her videos more than once!

PRAW Glow in The Dark Bangle:
Materials:

• 7g size 8/0 round seed beads
• 250 3mm Swarovski bicone beads (count will vary based on the size of your bracelet)
• FireLine® or similar thread
• Size 10 needle
• Cutters (for FireLine)

Optional accents beads:

• 50 4mm Swarovski bicone beads (count will vary based on size of bracelet)
• 1g size 8/0 round seed beads

Step 1. Thread on 5 size 8 seed beads. Form the beads into a loop and tie the threads in an overhand knot. Repeat to create a secure knot.

Step 2. Begin to “right-angle weave” using the first “floor” bead. Pick up 3 beads in your pattern, in this case, a 3mm bicone, a size 8 seed bead, and a 3mm bicone. Pass your needle back through the “floor” bead you started in.

Step 3. Pass your needle through the next floor bead.

Pick up a 3mm bicone bead and a size 8 seed bead. Pass your needle through the 3mm bicone in the adjacent RAW section and through the floor bead you started with.

Step 4. Pass your needle through the next floor bead and repeat Step 3.

Step 5. Repeat Step 3 again.

Step 6. Pass your needle through the next floor bead, through the first 3mm bicone  in the first RAW section from Step 2.

Pick up a size 8, pass your needle through the 3mm bicone from the last RAW section from Step 5, then pass your needle through the floor bead again.

The “walls” will be upright and your “ceiling” beads defined.

Step 7. Weave your needle through the 3mm bicone on the left side of this current RAW section then through the ceiling bead of the RAW section to the left of the 3mm bicone.

Tip: If you weave RAW in the opposite direction from me, just flip my words and change left to right.

Step 8. With your needle exiting the ceiling bead, you are now ready to begin your next “wall” and your ceiling bead becomes the floor bead. Repeat Step 2.

Step 9. Repeat Step 3-7 to complete a rope of prismatic right-angle weave beaded units. Continue to build this beaded rope of prismatic right-angle weave.

Weave PRAW units until, when the ends are held together, you can just slip the length over your hand.

Step 10. Using the two ends as the floor and ceiling of your PRAW, weave 3mm bicones in place to stitch then ends together.

Optional:
To further embellish this bracelet, and add more bling and glow-in-the-dark beads, I chose to not finish the ends, yet, but rather add more to the outside edges.

Starting a new thread, weave into the end of your beaded rope, exiting a 3mm bicone on one end. Pick up a 4mm crystal then pass your needle into the next 3mm bicone in the next PRAW row. Continue down the rope, adding crystals in between each 3mm bicone.

As you make progress, the size of the crystal being added is going to force a curve in the beaded rope.

Work your needle into the outside row of 3mm bicones, and add a size 8 seed bead (I used another glow-in-the-dark size 8 but you can use a similarly sized bead of your choice) between each 3mm crystal.

Once you’ve added the beads you like for your embellishments, stitch the ends together as discussed in Step 10. Weave the thread ends into the bracelet then trim neatly.

Whether you’re just beginning your beading exploration or looking for something new, hopefully these seed-bead weaving projects inspire you to create a whole armful of bracelets to wear all year long! Please be sure to share your designs with us in the comments.

Using a variety of beading stitches and techniques, such as right-angle weave and peyote stitch, and different beaded bracelet designs, you’ll find that you won’t have enough room on your arms to hold the number of beaded bracelets you make! So what are you waiting for? Download these free patterns and get started making beaded bracelets today!

Happy Beading!