Making a Wrap Bracelet with Lampwork Beads

Here you go! I've made a few wrap bracelets lately and wanted to share my easy as pie method. It's adjustable and does not require the wearer to tie it on. One thing I have learned is that the hole size of the beads matter immensely. A 3/32 hole is not really large enough for one of these silk ribbons to fit through. If it goes through it's great because it is a nice snug fit and won't go off in its own direction later. But it will not always fit on the ribbon. You're on your own with that!

A focal bead that fits snugly on the ribbon is a good start. Put it on the ribbon and center. This is the hard part! You might need to use a wire to push the cord through, and it might even help to put one of the end threads through the hole at a time.



Then you'll need a couple of beads with a little larger holes for the end of the cords. These were built on a 4 mm mandrel and fit just right.

Put a bead on each end of the cord.
Put other end of the cord through each of those beads going in the opposite direction form the first cord. You now have an enclosed loop.

Tie end of each thread end and cauterize with lighter.

 Tie a knot in each end of the ribbon.
 To wear- wrap around wrist four times, pull tight (you may need to use your teeth for this!), then pull small beads to the ends of the ribbon. For me the small beads end up at the bottom of my wrist- this will, of course depend on your wrist size and how you like your bracelet to lie. Finito!

 

 

Spindles and removable glass whorls

Well, as some of you may have seen, I am now making glass whorls for spinners to fit on some lovely wooden spindles made by my friend Lois at missingspindle. Lois has been studying ancient spindle and whorl use for a very long time and has recently decided to go public with all of her wonderful knowledge. She has been making some quirky movies and writing some amazing blogs about how and why we are making this type of tool. The whorls I make are just one small part of her mission to educate and slowly take over the spinning world with medieval designed spinning tools.

Everyone should read her hilarious blog about testing out fresh and dried fruits and vegetables as whorls. I humbly believe that glass works a bit better. But then again I may be prejudiced! Her etsy shop is here, and you can watch her videos on the missingspindle channel on youtube.

The newest venture we've been working on is spindles with multiple removable whorls. This example has three whorls- getting ahead of myself a bit as we are only at the double whorl stage as yet. But one of my adventurous customers has already asked me to work out a triple scheme for her. Spinners are such a fun bunch!