DIY: DAISY CHAIN BRACELET
June 20th, 2020
by Becky Goddard
The English summer is here, and I have found myself reminiscing fondly about the previous simple summers I have spent in the UK. Admittedly, I have been very fortunate over the last few years and so summer has normally involved some kind of holiday getaway. But now that it seems like that wont be on the cards for most of us this year, I am trying to take advantage of the time and weather. Nostalgic memories from my childhood include sitting in the school meadow (braving hay fever) to make daisy chain bracelets with my friends. Sadly these cute accessories didn't exactly survive the test of time; they were nearly always broken within the hour. So I decided to take advantage of the time and materials I have sitting around and create some version versions that would last. Below are the simple steps I followed to create the bracelets, necklaces of anklets. Also a lovely present for friends because who is too old for friendship bracelets?
Supplies:
- Beads (I used tiny glass ones but any round ones will do)
- Scissors
- Jewellery thread (Amazon has a scary number of options)
- Hook clasp and eye (Again, brave Amazon)
- Dish to keep the beads in
- Small needle
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Steps:
1. Measure the thread to your preferred size, leaving two inches spare to allow for tying the clasp and hook at either end. The loose ends will be trimmed, so don't worry about those.
2. Next, triple-knot the thread to the eye and cut the loose end.
3. Now we add the beads. For the style I used, the pattern I followed was to add eight of the green beads, and then another eight for the daisy petals and one for the center of the daisy. The simple steps to follow are to added the eight green beads, following by four of the pink ones, and then one white bead. Once these are all in a line as shown below, loop your needle back through the first pink bead (the one closest to the green beads). Hopefully this photo will clear up any confusions!
4. Now that the needle has been pulled through, you should have a half circle for the rest of the beads, like a flower with the petals pulled off, if you will! Simply thread the next four pink beads.
5. Thread the needle back through the pink bead at the half point of the flower and pull through tightly.
6. There you have your first daisy! Now repeat these simple steps as many times as you'd like.
7. When you've reached the end of your bracelet, make sure to leave enough space for the clasp. I like the look of the green beads at the start and end of the bracelet, so I finished with eight green beads. Then, as you did at the start, triple-knot the thread around the clasp, pulling so that it's as close to the beading as possible.
8. Snip the spare thread. And your bracelet is done! You can now add "jewelery maker" to your CV!
Becky Goddard is a fashion design graduate from Surrey. Since graduating, she has worked as a fashion intern in London, while making accessories and garments in her spare time. You can find her work @rebecca__goddard
