Making Bracelets

I started beading a while ago, beads are pretty and sparkly, what's not to like?

The first type of bracelets I made were with memory wire.  Great stuff, it is already in a bracelet (or ring or necklace) shape and it holds that shape as you bead onto it. You start by bending the wire round on one side so the beads don't slide off and then just start adding them.  Once you get to the end, you bend the wire back in on itself and the beads all stay put.

At the moment I like a more random approach, because I saw this, which just happens to be good for using up my stash of beads, but my first several bracelets tended to be based on a repeating pattern.

I also love the charm style of bracelet, so I bought some chain, some toggles, some head pins(these look like normal, but chunkier, bendier pins) and eye pins(these have a pre-made loop at the top).  To make a Charm style bracelets I used the chain to go round my wrist and put a toggle and toggle catch on either end.  Then I looped beaded head pins onto the chain at random intervals using random beads.  For the other type of bracelet pictured below I used the eye pins to sort of become the chain, adding the next eye pin before I looped the last eye pin round to keep the bead and next eye pin in place, the toggle and catch were attached at either end.

I also loved this cuff style bracelet and had used the instructions on the link to make it.

It looked better on (you'll have to trust me on that as I don't have pictures of it), apparently I'm not great at making the memory wire be an exact match seven times over!

Most recently though I've been wearing elasticated bracelets that have been bought for me, and I figured I would have a go at making my own.  I still love that layered type look, and my beading stash included some spacers, from a project that didn't quite go to plan (it involved a lot of sewing of beads), I came up with this:

I simply tied the elastic around the first spacer and added beads and the next spacer to the first row, then the second then the third.  All seemed to be going well with that method so I tried the same up to the next spacer and managed to drop a load of beads.  Luckily the Husband kindly assisted in the picking up of the beads from the same coloured floor.  After that I discovered the highly technical method of keeping the beads on the elastic you are not working with by simply putting a bulldog clip over them!  

I love how it turned out, the top row here is a semi precious stone called Jasper, the bottom two rows are random beads in my stash.  I wish I could say all these bracelets had decreased the size of my stash, but it doesn't really seemed to have made a dent!