HOW TO MAKE STRETCHY BEADED PRAYER BEADS

Prepare your materials:

Gather your beads, elastic cord, etc. Measure your wrist, so you know what size bracelet to make. For reference, a small adult wrist is 7″ around, a medium wrist is 8″, and a large wrist is 9″.

 Cut the elastic to length:

I like to use a double strand of elastic to make stretch bracelets. A doubled cord gives the bracelet extra strength, so it will last for a good, long time.

Cut a length of cord that’s twice as long as your wrist measurement, plus 12 inches. In other words: measure your wrist circumference, multiply by two, and add 12 extra inches.

Remember, it’s always better to cut a piece of elastic that’s too long and trim away the excess cord later.

Pre-stretch the elastic cord:

Pre-stretching the elastic prevents it from stretching out over time as you wear the bracelet. Hold a four-inch length of elastic between your fingers, and stretch it out a few times. Move down the length of the cord to the next section, and repeat. Keep going until all parts of the elastic cord get stretched.

Secure the end of the cord:

Fold the cord in half, so you’re working with a doubled length of cord. If you are using a beading needle, add it to the folded end. Place a bead stopper or binder clip on the cord ends so that the beads don’t slide off as you string them. If you don’t have a bead stopper or binder clip, you can fold a small piece of tape around the ends of the cord.

 Lay out your beads:

Arrange the beads in order before you start to string them on the elastic cord.

String the beads onto the cord:

If the holes of the beads are large enough, you may string them by hand. Hold the end of the cord in one hand, and use your other hand to place the beads onto the cord. If the bead holes are smaller, you may need to use a needle to make stringing easier. Many people recommend these large-eye beading needles. If you don’t have a beading needle handy, you can fold a small piece of beading wire in half to create a makeshift beading needle.

Tie a knot to secure the beading cord:

Once you’ve added enough beads, knot the ends of the elastic cord together.

Remove the bead stopper and needle from the elastic cord. Carefully, bring both ends of the cord together. Place one of the free ends through the folded end. Now, you’ll tie a knot with the two free ends.

Hide the knot:

There are a few ways to hide the knot, so it’s doesn’t distract from the design of your finished bracelet.

The simplest way is to slide the knot into the hole of one of the neighboring beads. This only works if the bead hole is large enough to accommodate the knot. (That’s why I told you to put the bead with the largest hole on the cord first so that it would be next to the knot.) To do this, apply a small dab of glue to the knot. Then, while the glue is still tacky, slide the adjacent bead over the knot. Let the glue dry.

Let the glue dry before trimming the ends of the cord. Jewelry glues dry in about an hour but takes up to 24 hours to fully cure.

Once the glue has dried, gently stretch each cord end, and use small sharp scissors to trim the excess cord as close to the bead as you can.

ENJOY!!!