GetCrafty Craft Facts

Q: Our daughter recently visited from California wearing a bracelet made entirely of seedbeads. It was a woven, daisy-chain that had an interesting closure we are trying to duplicate. It was a "ball" or "raspberry" (also woven/stitched from seed beads) that fit into the loop on the other end of the bracelet. Does anyone know how to make this "ball" or could you send us to a site that would have instructions?

A: What type of closure are you looking for. What type of bracelet? Is it beaded, are you using 'Aculon'? I was referring to the question below that was posted some time ago. I am brand new to beading, so I'm not very 'up' on technical terms!!! But I saw the same (similar) ball and loop closure on an (very cheap Chinese - see "very discouraging trend") attractive necklace at a Santa Barbara CA dept. store. Since the object is a necklace, the loop must pass over the ball, then snug down. The linked design indicated that the bracelet has enough flex that it can be pulled over the hand, without the ball and loop actually being used to "button" the bracelet on, but the key difference is the ball in the dept. store necklace was probably a large filler bead with the seed beads neatly enveloping it. Since multiple loops are simple (think leaves along a branch), adjustable closure for a choker is achieved without elastic. When I saw it, I wondered how one would go about creating a neat, tight, envelope over a baseball. Then, I am a very novice beader - that may be old hat to the regulars. Still, I haven't come across the technique yet. I make bracelets and necklaces with these types of closures all the time. They're really very simple, and you can modify them to your way of beading. Usually, when I am making what I call a "ball-and-loop" closure, I will do this: Let's say you're making a bracelet, single strand, and you get to the end where you would have otherwise put in a bead tip and clasp. Instead, just add on an "E" bead (also known as a size 6° seed bead). When your needle and thread comes out of the top, add on 3 more size 11 seed beads and bring your needle back up through the bottom of the 6° seed bead and out the top of it. Do this 9 times, keeping each row of 3 next to the one before it (gotta keep that tension right, too, so it does take practice) and it should sufficiently cover your 6° bead. Once done, it sometimes looks a little "open" at the top, so I will often bring up my needle through the 6° bead one last time, add on a single seed bead, then back down through the 6° bead. I will go back through the bracelet, come out the other end, and make a loop, taking the thread around through it at least three times. With a 6° seed bead and size 11° seed beads surrounding it, approximately 18-20 11° seed beads is enough to make a loop that will slide around the ball AND remain in place while the piece is being worn. This works very well when I'm making pieces for people who have reactions to jeweller's metals. If I have confused the living daylights out of you with inadequate instructions, I apologize. At least for me, it's hard to follow instructions without pictures and/or diagrams.