HERRINGBONE / WIREWORK

Cascading
floral bracelet

Embark on a creative journey

using the 2015 Bead&Button
Show commemorative bead
to create a multifaceted
flowing design.
by Cassie Donlen

2014 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in

December 2014
1
any form without permission from the publisher.

Difficulty rating

Materials
bracelet 8 in. (21 cm)

Base

1 The base is formed from two identical

sections of tubular herringbone that
have been flattened to form a double
layer. On a comfortable length of thread,
pick up four 110 seed beads, leaving a
20-in. (51 cm) tail. Sew through all the
beads again, and form them into two
stacks of two beads each. Working in
two-bead ladder stitch, pick up two
110s, sew through the previous stack
of beads, and continue through the
two 110s just picked up to form a new
stack. Continue working in two-bead
ladder stitch until you have 18 stacks
of two beads each. Form the ladder
into a ring.
2 Working off the ladder and using
110s, work in tubular herringbone stitch
for 41 rounds. End and add thread as
needed. If the working thread is less
than 20 in. (51 cm) after the final round,
end the thread and start a new thread
that is 2 ft. (61 cm) long.
3 Flatten the tube to create two layers.
There should be nine columns on each
side with the working thread and tail
located in the same column (either
layer) of an outer edge.
4 Pick up six 110s, and sew through the
top two 110s in the corresponding column on the opposite side (photo a).
Continue through the adjacent top

two 110s in the next column. Repeat

these stitches for the next two columns
to create three loops. Retrace the
thread path of the loops several times.
5 Sew through the top edge 110s
in the next three columns (same side
as your working thread), and repeat
step 4 on the remaining three columns
(photo b). End the working thread
and tail.
6 Repeat steps 45 using the tail for
the other end of the base.
7 Repeat steps 16 to make another
base section.

Wire components

1 2015 Bead&Button Show commemorative bead by Andrea Guarino-Slemmons

(www.BeadAndButton.com/showbead)
18 g 110 seed beads (Miyuki 9458-TB,
metallic iris brown)
14 2 mm round beads, sterling silver
6 x 1 in. (15 x 2.5 cm) 20-gauge (0.8 mm)
silver sheet metal, dead soft
(www.monsterslayer.com)
silver wire, round, dead soft
- 7 in. (18 cm) 14 gauge (1.6 mm)
- 5 in. (13 cm) 16 gauge (1.3 mm)
16 2 in. (6.4 cm) 22-gauge ball-end
head pins, fine silver
(www.missficklemedia.etsy.com)
6 18-gauge 4.5 mm silver jump rings
1 12 x 12 mm 2-strand toggle clasp
(www.monsterslayer.com)
Fireline 6 lb. test
beading needles, #11 or #12
fine-tip permanent marker
2 pairs of chainnose, flatnose, and/or
bentnose pliers
1.25 mm metal hole-punch pliers
roundnose pliers
wire cutters
2 hammers (chasing and light utility)
center punch
dapping set with block
disc cutter set
steel bench block or anvil

1 Cut four 134-in. (4.4 cm) pieces of

Online Beading Basics

14-gauge round wire. On a bench

block, use a chasing hammer to flatten
approximately in. (6 mm) at one end
of each piece of wire (photo c).
2 With the tips of a roundnose pliers,
grasp the flattened end of a piece of
wire, and rotate to form a small loop
(photo d). Repeat for the other three
wire pieces, and set aside.
3 Use a disc cutter and utility hammer
to punch 12 1564 in. (6 mm) discs (small),
12 516 in. (8 mm) discs (medium), and
two 38 in. (1 cm) discs (large) from
20-gauge silver sheet (photo e).

www.BeadAndButton.com/basics

herringbone stitch: tubular

ladder stitch: making a ladder, forming
a ring
ending and adding thread
opening and closing loops and jump rings
wrapped loop

Cassie Donlen is an
associate editor at
Bead&Button. Contact her at
cdonlen@beadandbutton.com

December 2014
2

no disc cutter?

Order the discs precut in 22 gauge

(6.4 mm, 8.0 mm, and 9.5 mm) at
www.riogrande.com

4 Use a marker to identify the center

on each disc, and use hole-punching
pliers to make a hole (photo f).
5 Place each disc on a bench block,
and use a center punch and utility
hammer to texture one side of each
disc (photo g).
6 Place each disc, textured side up, in
the corresponding dome of a dapping
block, and use doming punches to
create a concave dome (photo h).

no doming block?

No worries just opt to keep the

discs flat.

7 On a head pin, string a large disc,

and make a wrapped loop. Repeat to
create dangles with the second large
disc, six of the medium discs, and eight
of the small discs (photo i).

Clasp

1 Open two 4.5 mm jump rings, slide

one through each loop on the toggle
ring, and close the rings.

2 Slide a 14-gauge wire component

(from steps 12 of Wire components)
through three of the seed bead loops
on one end of a bracelet base and the
two jump rings attached to the toggle
ring. Continue through the remaining
three seed bead loops (photo j).
3 If needed, trim the wire so that only
716 in. (1.1 cm) is exposed from the
edge of the last beaded loop. Work as
in steps 12 of Wire components to flatten this end and form a loop (photo k).
This loop should face the same direction as the first one.
4 Repeat step 1 with the toggle bar, but
add a second pair of 4.5 mm jump rings
to each loop on the toggle bar. Continue with steps 23 to attach the toggle
bar to one end of the other base.

Assembly

1 Cut a 5-in. (13 cm) piece of 16-gauge

round wire, and make a wrapped loop
on one end. Slide the commemorative
bead onto the wire, and make another
wrapped loop (photo l).
2 Lay the base flat on a hard surface,
and slide a 14-gauge wire component
through the outer seed bead loop on
the remaining end of a herringbone
base. String a medium and a small disc
dangle onto the wire, and slide the wire

metalworking
Learn how to use a disc cutter and doming block at www.
artjewelrymagazine/videos.

December 2014
3

through the second loop. String a small

disc dangle onto the wire, and slide the
wire through the third loop.
3 String a small disc dangle, a loop
from the lampwork bead, and a large
disc dangle onto the wire (photo m)
before sliding the wire through the next
loop. String a small disc dangle onto
the wire, and slide the wire through the
second-to-last loop. String a small and
a medium disc dangle, and slide the
wire through the last loop (photo n).
4 If needed, trim the wire so that only
716 in. (1.1 cm) is exposed from the
edge, and work as in steps 12 of
Wire components to flatten the wire
(photo o) and form a loop.
5 Repeat steps 24 on the second base.

Embellishments

1 On 1 yd. (.9 m) of thread and leaving

a 6-in. (15 cm) tail, sew up through a herringbone base about 316 in. (5 mm) from

the end where the clasp is attached.

Exit the center column. Pick up a medium disc and a 2 mm round silver bead,
and sew back through the disc and the
base. Retrace the thread path.
2 Sew through the beadwork to exit
two columns over from where you
attached the medium disc. Pick up a
small disc and a 2 mm bead, and sew
back through the disc and the base
(photo p). Retrace the thread path.

3 Work as in step 2 to add a small disc

on the other side of the medium disc
(photo q). End the working thread
and tail.
4 Repeat steps 13 on the second base.
5 Work as in steps 14 to add two
medium discs and two small discs for
embellishment next to the disc dangles
on each base. Position the discs as
desired to make them look as if they
are cascading or flowing away from the
focal bead (photo r). w

To brush up on the basic techniques referenced in this project, go

to www.BeadAndButton.com/basics.

December 2014
4

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