Tips For Making and Tying Stretch Bracelets

 Beaded stretch bracelets are easy and fun to make. Bracelets can be made starting with a large focal bead flanked by complimentary beads and then finished off with common beads, or, the bracelets can be made with some complimentary beads strung in a repetitive pattern. Bear in mind that a repetitive pattern will determine the size of the bracelet. If a larger or smaller bracelet is needed the pattern might need to be modified.

I always begin by stringing the beads on regular bead cord. I mix and match until I have the beads the way I like and I know it will be of the right size. Then, I transfer the beads on to the stretch cord. I use Stretch Magic cord. I know there are several other brands of stretch cord.  I am still experimenting with them.  For now my cord of choice is Stretch Magic. It is readily available and is available in .5 mm, .7 mm, and 1 mm diameter. It is strong, stretchy, maintains its memory and is not affected by skin oils. The only drawback is it is a slippery cord and does not tie easily. But, there is a solution to that problem.

Most of my bracelets are made with the .7 mm cord.  I only use the 1 m size if I am using large heavy beads with large holes and I only use the .5 mm size for special situations.  It is important that the beads used in the bracelet have a hole size of 2 mm or larger. The holes must be big enough to allow the cord to pass through twice. 

Tip #1! The knot!  All that is needed for the knot is the familiar square knot. Start with a left-over-right overhand knot followed by a right-over-left overhand knot to make a square knot. You can go through the loop twice on the right-over-left  to form the surgeons knot if you like. It is stronger but, bear in mind it will be a bigger knot and you want the knot to be hidden inside a bead if possible. A square knot is sufficed. Tighten up the knot by pulling the tag ends and also on the other two ends. Put a dab of glue on the knot. Push one of the tag ends through an adjacent bead and conceal the knot in the bead.

Now the knot is inside a bead with tag ends coming out each side of the bead. Thread one tag end through a couple of beads and tie a cable-tie knot, cinch tight and put on a dab of glue. Thread it through a couple more beads and tie another cable-tie knot and a dab of glue. Do the sane for the other tag end. A cable-tie knot is just an overhand knot tied around the inner cord. Hold the loose end with you left hand close to the inner cord, wrap the loose end around the cord and go through the back side of the loop and cinch tight. These multiple small knots will be very secure. They will not pull out or loosen.

Tip #2! So what kind of glue? Glues most commonly recommended are the Cyanoacrylate glues like Krazy Glue or solvent based glues like jewelry glue or E6000. Some even use clear nail polish. The Cyanoacrylate glue makes a strong bond and dries almost instantly. But it seems that over time the bond becomes brittle and could crack. It is not flexible. Zap-A-Gap is Cyanoacrylate glue that is supposed to be more flexible but I have not tried it. Nail polish has the same brittle affliction as the other glues. Also, Cyanoacrylates have a short shelf life of one year if not opened and less that one month after opened. I like Dazzel Tac Jewelry Glue and E6000. They adhere tightly to the slippery cord and when completely cured (24 hours) are still flexible. The drawback is they are messy to work with. E6000 makes a tighter bond but is less flexible than the jewelry glue. Use E6000.

Tip #3! While stretch bracelets are somewhat forgiving of size they are not a one size fits all. The stretch bracelet must be made to fit a specific size wrist. Too small and the bracelet will be uncomfortable and the beads will pull apart revealing the cord underneath. It puts unnecessary strain on the cord and knots. Too big and it will flop around on the wrist. The stretch bracelet merely eliminates the clasp. The bracelet length will always need to be slightly longer than the wrist size. That is necessary to accommodate the space the beads take up inside the bracelet. The bigger the beads the longer it will have to be.

 I use a sizing cone. I use the readily available EZ Bracelet cone. Before transferring the beads to the stretch cord I pull together the bracelet and put it over the cone. I make the size slightly smaller than the finished size. A bracelet to fit an 8 inch wrist will be slightly larger than 7.75 inches. That adds just enough tension to the bracelet to keep it in place but it is still comfortable to wear. My man size bracelets are available in 7 inch, 7.5 inch, 8 inch, and 8.5 inch sizes.

Tip #4! My last tip has to do with how one puts on a stretch bracelet. The common way is to put the bracelet over the fingers and then pull it down onto the wrist. That method puts a lot of strain on the cord and the knots. If the bracelet were ever going to break, it is when putting it on when it most likely would happen. A better way is to put the bracelet over the fingers and then roll it down onto the wrist. That reduces the strain and it is an easy way to put on the bracelet.

Stretch bracelets are easy and fun to make. If you tie the cord correctly, use the right glue, and size them properly, they will not break and will fit perfectly. You will find some of my stretch bracelets at Sirocco's Trading Post. I hope you will stop in and take a look.