Beading Basics: Lesson 1 - How to Make a Beaded Necklace
This lesson teaches how to properly start, string, and finish a beaded necklace. You may need to refer to Beading Basics: How to Crimp, in order to help you properly finish this project.
Step 1:
Gather together all the necessary part and tools. You will need:
-Using the Bead Board plan out your necklace design before starting to string beads, this allows you to easily change your design without having to restring. -Give your self a few options before deciding on a final design. Design 1 Design 2
Step 3:
-Cut piece of soft flex a few inches longer than you want the necklace to be, give yourself some room to play with. -Attach one end of the clasp to the beading wire using a crimp bead. (This is where you may need to refer to the How to Crimp instructions.
Step 4:
-Start stringing the beads as they have been layed out on the bead board, starting at one end and ending at the other. -It's a good idea to stop from time to time and check that the pattern is correct. Especially when working with smaller beads, it's very easy to make a mistake and mix up the pattern while stringing.
Step 5: -Keep stringing the beads as laid out on the bead board until you reach the end of the pattern. -It is a good idea at this point to take the necklace to a mirror and hold it up to your neck to check the length. If it's too long/too short this is the time to make that correction.
Step 6:
-Finish off the necklace using the other half of the clasp and the second crimp bead. -You will need a pair of crimping pliers for this step.
Step 7:
-Cut off any excess beading wire after the crimp bead has been properly crimped into place. -You will need a pair of wire cutters for this step.
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