Tube bracelet finished

Been down with the flu for the past few days. Felt better today so I decided to finish this tube bracelet as it seems to be taking me so long already.

So I added "tube parts" to the rest of the components so that each component in the "spine" now had a "tube part."

It now kinda looks like a solid tube this way.

At this point I was already improvising and wasn't referring to the pattern anymore.

The next thing I did was to close up one end.

To close this end I added thread so that I came out of the green bead and made another component to join with the other one on the opposite side.

This is the loop end of the beaded toggle clasp.

This is how it looks from the side.

Now before I can close the other end I have to fill the tube with the cherry quartz beads strung on flexible wire. I pulled it tight on the end that was already closed.

When I did this, the bracelet itself had to be clasped. If it was strung while the bracelet was straight and then closed up on the other end, you wouldn't be able to bend the bracelet around your wrist.

Here I saw that I lacked a cherry quartz bead at the end so I added one more.

I closed up the other end by using crimp beads, snipping off the wire and slipping it back through the last cherry bead on both ends. I made sure that everything was nice and snug. The bracelet still has to be clasped when closing the other end and crimping both ends.

The finished bracelet.

I actually added one more loop to the loop side of the clasp so that it could be worn looser. I made this for an 8-year old but the second loop will ensure that she can wear it even when she's a bit older.

Tube Bracelet part 3

Finished the "tube parts" and simulated the beads strung up in the middle.

It looks okay laid out straight. But when in a circle (which is how it will be worn anyway) I think it might be better to fill out the rest of the "tube parts." The cherry quartz beads will still be given enough peek-a-boo exposure.

I used flexible wire to string the cherry quartz beads to give the bracelet more structural support at the core.

Tube Bracelet part 2

Been busy the past couple of days so I haven't had a lot of time for beading. But I do squeeze in whatever spare time I can.

Continuing with the tube bracelet, the pattern called for 6mm stones for the center instead of strung seed beads as a design option.

What I had were 10mm round cherry quartz stones so I modified the pattern a bit. The "tube" is now made up of four components across instead of three. This includes the component in the "spine" part of the bracelet.

In the pattern, it showed that the "tubes" were formed on every component on the "spine". I'm making it every other component for now and will see how the string of cherry quartzs look in them.

Tube Bracelet

Making a bracelet from a pattern designed by Antonio Calles (Bead and Button). I actually started making this bracelet a few weeks ago and ended up joining the components to make a ring and earrings set.

First two components, joined as you go along.

I'm using Nymo thread size D now. I've attempted to for a long time but after reading a lot of forums I learned the proper way to use it.

Nymo thread has to be conditioned. It has to be pre-stretched and waxed with either beeswax or Thread Heaven. I read in one forum that it can actually be ironed lightly so that the wax bonds better with the thread. I never tried this before and I think it works!

I put the prestretched and waxed Nymo under a piece of fabric, like a handkerchief. Then I run the iron a few times across, on a medium heat setting.

When I'm done the thread doesn't fray as much and doesn't tangle at all. I used to avoid using Nymo because of the fraying, but this fixed that.

One way to avoid fraying is to just avoid sewing through the thread itself. This will be a big help when you have to unravel for some reason. This is pretty annoying when the thread is frayed.

Here is the finished bracelet base. I'm making it for an eight year old so it's a bit shorter than it says in the pattern.

The next part of the bracelet is to create the tube.