Extruded Square Spiral Beads and Memory Wire Bracelets

When I first saw this free tutorial published by Marie Segal a while ago, I knew I wanted to give it a try.  It was even one of the first things I pinned to my Polymer clay pinterest board but it kept getting pushed down to the bottom of our "things to play with" list.  Then one day while working on our memory wire bracelets, I remembered those beads and immediately pulled out our extruder and dies and had to give it a whirl.  You need to make the extruded tubes first with the special clay core adapter to create a hole in the tubes for the beads.

Extruded strands with mica powders applied before twisting

I love how they turned out but for a memory wire type bracelet, we decided they should have a curve for a better fit and easier threading.  We had a bunch of these cool tins for covering with clay which are the same size as the wire so decided to use some as a baking form.  After applying the mica powders and twisting the long ropes, we gently arranged them inside the tins.  We placed the lids on each tin so they could be stacked on the baking tray in the oven.

Here are the long bead tubes after baking.  To seal the mica powders we like to spray them first with the PYM11 (Preserve Your Memories 11).  It was much easier to spray them first before cutting into bead lengths.  This way the mica powders wouldn't rub off during the cutting process.  To make cutting easier, we warmed the tubes first in the oven and then used a sharp, rigid tissue blade for cutting.

We then applied several coats of Pledge (Future) and then baked again at 200 F to harden the finish.

Here they are a few strung on the memory wire as bracelets.  We like adding our own clay rondelle spacer beads in with the twisted tubes.

To see our tutorial on how to make your own memory wire bracelets you can click here.  Making the beads and the bracelets are a lot of fun and so we have been making them in a wide assortment of colors.

Beginner Polymer Workshop and Some New Jewelry

Dave and I taught a beginner polymer clay workshop at Thread & Paper all day yesterday.  I am kicking myself for forgetting to take some photographs.  We did meet some really great ladies who were all very enthusiastic to learn.  I wore my "Natasha Bead" necklace and matching bracelet and after explaining what a Natasha bead is to the group, I remembered I still hadn't shown it on our blog yet.

The bracelet is another design using memory wire but in a cuff style.  The clay pattern on the links was a happy accident when I was playing around making the Natasha beads for the necklace.  I had an idea to try something different and this was the result.  Each square is a mirror image with no two patterns alike.  

I am experimenting with this new technique a little more and will keep you posted.

Memory Wire Bracelet Tutorial

It is that time of year again to pull out our supply of candy cane beads and make some more jewelry.  We made a huge supply of beads last year so still have a bunch on hand to play with.  If you play with polymer clay you will find my free tutorial here to make your own.

We like to use the shorter beads in bracelets and so we made some up in the spiral memory wire style.  The nice thing about this type of bracelet is that they are easy to put on and take off and they fit any wrist size.

Working with memory wire can be a little tricky at first, but once you know what you are doing, it can be a lot of fun.  When you first unpack the wire you will notice it is a lot like a "Slinky" toy.  When you stretch it out a bit and then let go, it will spring back into the same shape.

With this type of bracelet you want to have 4 to 5 "rounds" or rings so it will wrap around the wrist several times making it more secure and giving it that stacked bracelet look.  It is best to cut a bit more to allow for finishing at each end.  Do not use your good jewelry cutters for this type of wire as it will ruin them.  There are special "memory wire shears" you can buy for this.  These are very strong cutters and are like a mini "bolt cutter" so are also handy for cutting other things like soldered chain or other steel or brass wire.

Make an eye loop at the one end of your wire with your round nose pliers.  The loop acts as a stopper for your beads when stringing and you can also add some pretty dangles and charms on it after.

This type of bracelet can take quite a few beads which can make the bracelet rather heavy if you are using a lot of glass or metal types.  Because Polymer clay beads are light, they work really well.  Long tubes also look really stunning on these bracelets and the typical ones are made from metal.  Not only are these tubes rather expensive, they are also heavy and can tarnish quite easily.

I discovered a great substitute for the metal tubing which is called Softglass cord and is available at Shades of Clay (scroll down after the buna cord).  The Softglass cord is like Buna except it is hollow inside so you can thread wire through it.  It also has a beautiful satin glass-like finish and comes in a wide range of gorgeous colors.  The other cool thing about using this type of tubing is that you can cut it to any length.  You can use scissors or I find using a heavy tissue blade makes really clean and straight edges.

Now the fun begins.  You can play around with different patterns to see what works for you.  The main idea is to have your beads somewhat evenly spaced or "weighted" all the way around.  You will notice that the bead placement can change drastically with different tube lengths.  If you find it isn't working, then try cutting the Softglass cord longer or shorter and see what works best.  For the bracelet shown here (below) I am using the Emerald Green Softglass cut into 1-1/2" lengths.

Start threading your beads and cord tubing on the wire.  When you are happy with your pattern, slide the beads down to the end of the wire.  Keep adding your beads until your wire is full.

When you are happy with your bracelet, finish off the other end with another eye loop.  Add some pretty bead dangles and charms at each end and you are done.

Follow-up on the Jewelry Party

Dave and I had a nice time at The Sewing Basket with the Jewelry Party last Saturday.  It was a different sort of class where we provided a selection of beads and some patterns and each participant made their own bracelet.

It was a lot more relaxed type of class where each person could work at their own pace.  Some enjoyed making their first one so much they decided to make another.  I remembered to take a photo this time (with a few bracelets missing but could at least show off a few of the finished pieces.

 It was a little snowy that day but we had a nice drive home after where the highway follows along the Shuswap Lake.  Even though it was cloudy, the water looked like glass.

Jewel-tone Double-sided Textured Beads

We just finished off a bunch of double-sided texture beads and matching rondelle spacers in some jewel-tone colors for the Jewelry Party this Saturday at the Sewing Basket where everyone will make a memory wire bracelet.

Everyone will get to pick their own beads out in their favorite colors and textures to design their own bracelet.

I noticed that Pearl Ex has come out with some new colors that are suppose to be more bright and vibrant.  I am always looking for new colors and so these should be fun to play with.  You can read more about them here on Wendy's blog who now has them for sale at Shades of Clay.

We work with mica powder pigments quite a bit and in my tutorials, Double-sided Textured Beads, Textured Tubes and More and Make Your Own Rondelle Spacer Beads, I share some tips on working with them.

One thing I do differently now is I have actually mixed some of the colors to create new colors and save them in small jars with the recipe written on in case I need to make more.

Jewelry Party at The Sewing Basket

I am doing a different type of jewelry making class this time at The Sewing Basket in Salmon Arm.  It is a short one hour "make and take" Jewelry Party.  The class is free and you only pay for the materials.  The project is quite simple and not much in tools is required.  For parts that are needed, Dave and I will have enough tools available for use and we will be both on hand to assist with your project.

We will have a variety of our handcrafted art beads to make a stylish and fun to wear memory wire bracelet.  These bracelets are very comfortable and fit any wrist size.  There is no clasp so are easy to put on and take off as they just wrap around the wrist.

The class is in 2 weeks so there is still plenty of time to sign up.  It is a party so the more the merrier! 

Easy to Make Bracelet Display Stands

We are finally done adding all the finishing touches to our work and ready for our set-up at the Lake Country Art Walk today.  We are excited to be in this great art show that takes place each year in the Okanagan (Winfield - Lake Country) part of British Columbia.

One of the things we have been working on is our new memory wire bracelets.  They are like a bangle but the memory wire makes them more "expandable" so they can fit most wrist sizes comfortably and are easier to put on and take off.  They have a special clasp making it adjustable and simple to use.

We wanted some nice stands to show off these new pieces and saw some cone type ones but we would have to order them from the U.S, and they would not arrive in time for the show so we decided to improvise and make our own.

We simply picked up a sheet of poster board from the dollar store.  You could also use some fancy cardstock if you wish but we wanted a basic matte black to show off the bracelets and to match our show displays.  I used a lid from a tin that was 6-1/2" in diameter (17 cm) to trace a bunch of circles on the board and I managed to get 12 out of one sheet.

Cut the circles out plus one other circle from some plain paper to use as a template.  To find the center of the circle, fold the paper template in fourths and then make a cut on one of the folds in to the center.

Fold up one of the quarters of your template and lay it on top of your circle.  Using a ruler, mark and then cut along that line.

Note:  I found to make a "tighter" (narrower/taller) cone, I had to cut about 1/2" past the center mark.

Now roll your circle up to form a cone and then fasten it with glue and you are done.

So now our new bracelets are ready to show off.  Have a great weekend.