This tutorial walks you through all the materials and steps needed to make a triple-wrap stretchy bracelet with Miyuki 11/0 seed beads. I strongly encourage you to read all the information below before making your bracelet, especially the part about sizing. For instance, I made my bracelet size on the snug size in the tutorial. So, if you like your bracelets on the looser side, you will need to make an adjustment. I explain this below in the sizing section.
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MATERIALS
1️⃣ STRETCH CORD
I recommend using a stretch cord with a diameter of 0.7mm with our Miyuki 11/0 seed bead mixes. My favorite brand is Stretch Magic. It's important to note that you need to pre-stretch the cord before stringing your beads. Cut your cord. Hold one end in your right hand and the other end in your left hand. Then pull your hands apart a few times to give the cord a good stretch.
2️⃣ SCISSORS
3️⃣ RULER
4️⃣ GLUE
The glue is used to secure your knots. My favorite glue for this application is GS Hypo Cement. It has a small precision tip that makes the glue easy to apply.
5️⃣ LARGE HOLE BEADS
I like to hide my knots in the hole of a bead. Because the holes of the 11/0 Miyuki seed beads are too small, I add at least one bead with a larger hole to fit the knots. This bead can be decorative or blend in with the design. I don't recommend a hole size much less than 1.2 mm. But you don't want the hole to be too big, either. If the hole is too big, the knots may slide out.
You can find the beads here:
3 x 4mm Sterling Silver Beads: https://www.thebeadmix.com/products/3-x-4mm-sterling-silver-oval-beads
4 x 7mm Sterling Silver Beads: https://www.thebeadmix.com/products/4-x-7mm-sterling-silver-oval-beads
3 x 3.7mm Stainless Steel Beads: https://www.thebeadmix.com/products/3-x-3-7mm-stainless-steel-beads
Once the knots are inside the bead, you can add more glue to hold it in place (not shown in the tutorial).
6️⃣ MIYUKI 11/0 SEED BEAD MIX
Choose any bead mix from our large selection that you like best (https://www.thebeadmix.com/collections/miyuki-11-0-rocaille-seed-bead-mixes). You'll effortlessly achieve a designer look by using one of our bead mixes.
7️⃣ ACCENT BEADS (OPTIONAL)
This is where you can add your creative touch. Pair the seed beads with other types of beads, such as metal beads, pearls, gemstones, crystals, wood beads, etc. The possibilities are endless!
In the tutorial, I used Thai Karen Hill Tribe faceted silver beads. They are 2mm. Here's a great alternative if you can't find them (https://www.thebeadchest.com/products/tiny-diamond-cut-faceted-silver-beads-2mm). I like using beads that contrast with the glass seed beads.
SIZING
If you know the BRACELET SIZE (not your wrist size) that fits you best, you can simply multiply this by 3 to determine the length your bracelet needs to be. However, I only recommend using this measurement if you're confident in your best bracelet size.
If you do not know your bracelet size, start by measuring your actual wrist size. You can use a piece of string and a ruler. Snugly wrap the string around the area of your wrist where you like to wear your bracelets. Mark the point where the string overlaps on both ends. Then, measure the distance between the two points. This is your actual wrist size.
Add 0.25 to 0.5 inches to your wrist size depending on how snug or loose you like your bracelets. This is the length of strung beads you will need per wrap.
In the tutorial, I suggest adding 0.25 inches (6.35mm) to your wrist size. This is on the snug side. So if you like your bracelets looser, please add an additional 0.25 inch or more. Also, if you use larger beads, you MUST add more than 0.25 inches.
Once you know your ideal bracelet length for a single wrap, you can multiply that by 3 to determine how long you need to make your triple wrap bracelet.
In the tutorial, I share that my wrist size is 5.75 inches. So my bracelet size is 6 inches for a single wrap (5.75 + 0.25). To make a triple wrap bracelet, I multiply 6 x 3 to get 18 inches. This is how long my bracelet must be to triple-wrap it around my wrist.
ORDER OF BEADS
To get your accent beads in the front and your knots in the back, you will need to string your beads in the following order.
1/2 portion of seed bead mix
Focal beads
Full portion of seed bead mix
Focal beads
Full portion of seed bead mix
Focal beads
1/2 portion of seed bead mix
The length of your focal bead sections depends on your personal preference. In the tutorial, I create one-inch sections, which helps keep the math simple. Then, since I need 6 inches per wrap, I need 5-inch portions of my bead mix (6 - 1). Therefore, the length of your bead mix portion depends on the length of your focal bead sections and your ideal bracelet length per wrap.