Silver & Red Beaded Kumihimo Bracelet: Project Instructions

Kumihimo! A Japanese technique of braiding, we use a clever thick foam board and plastic bobbins to keep everything in place. This project features 6mm crystals and 6/0 glass seed beads - mix it up to create your own pattern!

MATERIALS REQUIRED

• 180 x 6/0 Glass Seed Beads
• 2 Glue-In Leather End Caps
• 2 x 6mm Strong Jump Rings
• 1 x Fancy Clasp
• 8m x #9 Nylon Beading Cord
• Large Keyring
• 60 x 6mm Round Glass Crystal Beads

TOOLS REQUIRED

• Round Kumihimo Board
• Thread Zapper
• E-6000 glue
• Big Hole Beading Needle
• 8 Bobbins

INSTRUCTIONS

This great project takes the standard kumihimo weave and adds beads - creating an amazing result. We recommend going over our instructions for the Sparkly Kumihimo Bracelet before starting this bracelet.

1. Cut your cord into 4 pieces. Fold the 4 strands in half and tie the half-way point onto a large keyring. Pull all strands through the centre hole of the kumihimo disk, leaving the keyring on the back side. Bring it up tight. As this cord is lightweight, you will need a weight to keep the tension. We recommend putting a few coins in a zip lock bag, and attaching it to the keyring on the back of the board.


2. Place one strand on each side of the black dots - ie to the left and right of 32, to the left and right of 8, to the left and right of 16 and to the left and right of 24.


3. Use your big hole needle to thread your beads onto each strand - simply open the centre of the needle slightly and thread a small length of your cord through. Then use the other end of the needle to thread beads on. Depending on your pattern, you will want about 30 beads per strand - with this particular pattern, we have threaded the 6mm crystal feature beads on the thread to the left of 32 and the right of 16 and the seed beads on the other 6 strands (check out our range of kumihimo patterns for other ideas!). When threading your beads, thread through the last bead twice or three times to hold everything in place.


4. Wind each cord around a No Tangle bobbin to stop things from getting tangled - leave about 10 beads and roughly 20cm of cord above the bobbin, and lock everything else in the bobbin.


5. Position the disk so that 32 is at the top. Take the cord from the right of 32 and move it across the board, to the right of 15. Take the cord from the left of 16 and move it to the left of 31. Turn the board a quarter turn to the right (so that 24 is now at the top) and repeat - take the cord from the right of 24 and move it to down to the right of 7. Take the cord from the left of 8 and move it up to the left of 23.


6. Repeat this pattern (top right to bottom right, bottom left to top left, turn) until you have about 1.5cm of weave (ie about 2 full iterations) with no beads. If you need to pause whilst making your bracelet, always stop when you have three cords on the bottom. That way, when you restart, you will taking the cord from the bottom left and moving it to the top left, and continuing.


7. Once you've got about 1.5cm of plain braid, we need to introduce beads. As you take your cord from the top right, slide a bead up and into the middle of the board. Tuck it under the cord going to the right, then cross your cord over the board and to the bottom right as per normal. Now, take the cord from the bottom left, slide a bead up and into the middle of the board. Tuck it under the cord going to the left, then cross your cord over the board and to the top right as per normal. Turn to the right and repeat, ensuring the beads are tucked under the previous cord (otherwise they will end up in the center of the braid). As you continue, you will need to pause to undo bobbins and bring beads up - keep the cords relatively short to minimise tangles.


8. Once you're happy with the length of your bracelet (an average bracelet would have about 18cm of beaded area), stop pulling beads up, and continue until you have about 1.5cm of plain braid. Use a thread zapper to cut and melt the cord at the end, about 8mm from the end of the beaded section. Repeat for the other end of the braid (cutting it off the keyring). If you don't have a thread zapper, you will need to use scissors to cut the thread, then some glue to hold all the ends together so that they don't separate before we have added the end caps.


9. Place some glue in the metal seat of the glue-in leather end cap, then tuck the ends of the cord into the metal seat. Do the same with the other end. Allow plenty of time to fully dry (I normally say about 40 hours). Use a 6mm jump ring to attach the clasp to each end of the bracelet.

PRO TIP - As per step 6, if you need to pause whilst making your bracelet, always stop when you have three cords on the bottom (like in our third illustration). That way, when you restart, you will taking the cord from the bottom left and moving it to the top left. If you stick to this habit, you shouldn't lose your spot!

© www.eurekabeads.com.au These free beading instructions may be used for personal use only [EX03355]