(no subject)

[iamthemuffin.livejournal.com]

a few people expressed interest in the beaded choker i posted a few days ago...

in honor of the "no trading" rule, i've made a rather shabby but hopefully workable tutorial...if nothing else, it will exemplify why i am a photographer rather than an illustrator.



i used three different kinds of beads: seed beads, 1/4" bugle beads, and hexagon seed beads.

1. string nine seed beads and one bugle bead
2. draw the needle back through the first seed bead strung, going in the opposite direction.
3. string four seed beads and one bugle bead
4. draw the needle back through the last seed bead before the next to last bugle bead, going in the opposite direction.



you should start to get a pattern that looks something like this:



repeat steps 3 and 4 until the choker is as long as you want it to be. i made it about an inch shorter than the circumference of my neck. at this point it will probably be a little goofy and springy, but adding the hexagon beads add stability and also a bit of length...therefore, you might have to tug on it a bit so that it's taut to get an idea of how long it will be when it's finished.

5. when it's as long as you want it, finish by stringing nine more seed beads and going back through the last seed bead before the last bugle bead.

hooray, the basic shape is done! but wait, there's all these little nasty strings showing in the gaps all along the edge.

6. string one hexagon bead and draw the needle through the next three seed beads along the edge. add a hexagon bead at every gap all the way around the edge of the choker until you come to the first hexagon bead, tie off, and it's done!



i finished it off by attaching black satin ribbon to the loops on the ends in a slipknot, but you could add a clasp as well.

i hope this all made sense!