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You are here: Home / Jewelry / Beaded Jewelry / Bead and Hemp Summer Ankle Bracelet

May 20, 2013 · 26 Comments

Bead and Hemp Summer Ankle Bracelet

Beaded Jewelry· Jewelry

Memorial Day is right around the corner, which is the unofficial-official-start-of-summer!  Every time we get to shorts and sandals weather, my ankles get a new bracelet.  Are you the same way?  Whether it’s a tradition for you, or you just want to try something new, I have a surprisingly simple ankle bracelet design to show you today!

Hemp Jewelry Beaded Summer Ankle BraceletThere’s a lot of room for variation with this design depending on the beads you like.  I used the double-row look to incorporate two separate colors, but you can get a different look with any combination.

Supplies needed to make your own bead and hemp ankle bracelet:supply2

  • Hemp Jewelry Cord (I love this variety pack from Darice, you can use any thickness to suit your beads.  I used six 24-inch strands of 10 lb. hemp for my ankle bracelet.)
  • Seed Beads – you know you have some laying around!  If not (or if you want a new color for the new season) choose either 6/0 or 8/0 size.  I used size 8/0 in this project.
  • Set of 5mm Glue-on End Caps
  • Lobster Clasp
  • Aleene’s Jewelry & Metal glue
  • Scissors
  • You will also need a pin, clip, or clipboard to hold your bracelet while you work

Bead and Hemp Ankle BraceletFirst things first: trim your hemp cord to six strands of 24-30 inches.  Why the range?  Well, hemp is made from several strands wound together.  As you string beads onto it, it can begin to unravel.  If this starts to happen, you should trim off the frayed end to keep working.  The size of hole in your bead will make the most difference in how much your hemp will fray as you work.  The larger the bead, the less fray you will have, but if it’s a snug fit, you will want it a little longer.  You can always trim off excess when your bracelet is finished, but you can’t add more length if you run short.

Tie your six strands together with an overhand knot.  Then, secure the end to your workplace.  I clipped mine to a canvas board because that is what I had handy, but a clipboard will work well for woven bracelets, too!

Separate your strands into three groups of two strands each.  We will be making a basic braid, but to give the bracelet weight and texture, we are doubling up the amount of cord going into the bracelet.  On the outermost strand, thread on a bead, and begin to braid. I begin working left to right, but it makes no difference.

Bead and Hemp Ankle BraceletWhen you get to the other side of your braid, again, thread a bead onto the outermost strand, and braid the two strands to the center.  You will continue this pattern for the whole bracelet.  In my case, each time I pulled from the left, I added an orange bead.  Each time I pulled from the right, I added a red bead.

Bead and Hemp Ankle BraceletThis gave me two separate rows of color.  You could incorporate even more colors, or you could make the whole bracelet a single color – this is where you make the pattern your own!  Continue adding beads into your braid like this for the length of the bracelet, which should be a final braided length of 8 to 9 inches.  (The range accounts for your own preference.  Standard ankle bracelets are 9 or 10 inches, depending on which size the wearer prefers.  We will be adding one inch of length when we add the clasp at the end.)

When you reach your desired length, tie an overhand knot to secure your braid.

Bead and Hemp Ankle BraceletYou can trim the tails quite short, because we will be gluing on ends caps.  I LOVE these end caps, particularly for woven bracelets like this.  Let me show you a closer look of how the set comes:

Bead and Hemp Ankle BraceletA toggle clasp is included with the 5mm set, but for additional security, I like to replace it with a lobster clasp.  Toggle clasps work well for bracelets, but as much movement as your legs do, I don’t recommend them on ankles.  You can save the toggle findings for a future jewelry project!

All you have to do is trim your bracelet “tails” to the length of the cap, which is roughly 1/4 inch.  Add a dab of jewelry glue to the inside of the cap, and cover your bracelet tails.  Give it a good twist to ensure that it fully coats, and allow it to dry.  Do this for both ends.  It will be dry enough to finish your piece in about 5 minutes, but give it at least 30 minutes before wearing your bracelet.

Bead and Hemp Ankle BraceletNow, just add a jump ring and lobster clasp to finish your piece (or, if you opted to make it wrist-sized, you can use the toggle clasp that comes with the end caps) and that’s it!

Hemp Jewelry Beaded Summer Ankle Bracelet -2If you are new to jewelry and findings intimidate you, or you know you will be wearing it all summer long, you can also make this a friendship-style bracelet, and leave the tails long to be tied onto ankles (or wrists) for the season.   Enjoy!

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Adrianne

Adrianne is a writer, artist, designer, wife, and mom of 2 kids. She blogs at happyhourprojects.com where the theme is tutorials and recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Her favorite projects are jewelry-making, paper crafts, and recycled crafts. She participates annually in ArtPrize, an international art competition, and she’s the author of the book DIY T-Shirt Crafts: 50 Ways to Recycle a T-Shirt (August 2015).

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Comments

  1. Joyce says

    March 2, 2014 at 10:16 pm

    Love your anklet. I can’t fine the end caps around here though. Been looking at Hobby Lobby and Wal Mart. Wanted some for another project.

    Reply
    • Adrianne says

      March 3, 2014 at 9:00 am

      Joyce, I’ve never been able to find them locally either. I order from Consumer Crafts, here’s a link to the ones I used: http://www.consumercrafts.com/store/details/catalog/jewelry-cord-kumihimo-braiding-findings-and-kits/1999-4711

      Reply
  2. Carla says

    August 10, 2013 at 8:30 am

    Here’s a little trick I use when beading hemp, string etc. I dip the ends in clear nail polish then roll it between my fingers. It keeps the hemp from fraying and kind of makes it’s own needle for beading……. 🙂

    Reply
  3. JaneEllen says

    July 22, 2013 at 10:27 pm

    So very pretty, it’s gorgeous. This will be a great project with my 13 yr. old G/D. Hope she’ll be interested. Maybe she can show Grama how to braid again. Been so long I forget which one is which to braid when, lol.
    Love the look of the hemp and beads. Can hardly wait to get all I need to make them. G/d is on vacation at the beach in San Diego right now so I’ll have to wait for them to come back. So glad you shared this project. I’m a little slow seeing all the great jewelry projects you gals have shared. Wish I had ink to print them all out right now. Happy summer

    Reply
  4. Tracy says

    July 13, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    I am so excited about trying this! I just got back from Florida, and spent $1.99 each on something just like this. I can braid, so I thought I can do this! Gonna make some for friendship bracelets for my 2 bestfriends!! Thanks so much!!

    Reply
  5. Ice Pandora says

    June 7, 2013 at 9:09 am

    WAHH! I got this tutorial bookmarked c; XX

    Reply
  6. Kelly @ Here Comes the Sun says

    May 26, 2013 at 2:54 pm

    Your jewelry is always so beautiful. I’ve never made any jewelry before but your tutorials make me want to!

    Reply
  7. Tina Takach says

    May 25, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    This looks like a great project to do with my daughters(19 & 22). Quality time with Mom. LOL

    Reply
  8. Bethany says

    May 22, 2013 at 8:16 pm

    Love it!

    Reply
  9. Michelle says

    May 22, 2013 at 10:40 am

    Thanks for all of the detailed instructions. Yet another great summer project to do with my 13 year old daughter. At this age, she’d rather be on the computer, etc. so I am compiling a list of projects to keep her busy and also so that the two of us can spend some quality time together. 🙂

    Reply
  10. Del Marie Riley says

    May 21, 2013 at 1:26 pm

    I can’t wait to try this. Thank you for making such clear and easy to follow directions. One question though, about how many beads do you think you used? I have some old jewelry I want to salvage beads from but I want to know if I’ll have enough.

    Reply
    • Adrianne Surian says

      May 21, 2013 at 3:57 pm

      Okay that is a tough call, because it will depend totally on the size of the beads you use and the thickness of your cord. But to give you an idea, when the bracelet makes up, you need approximately as much beads as what would make up one strand then length you want it. So – if you’re braiding a 9″ braid, you would want 9″ of beads (half for the top “row” and half for the bottom). If you are using 4mm beads, there are 6-7 4mm beads for each inch strung, so you would need around 60 beads for a 10″ ankle bracelet. If they are smaller, you need more, or larger, you need less. I hope that helps you to estimate!

      Reply
      • Del Marie Riley says

        May 21, 2013 at 5:44 pm

        Thank you very much for your reply. It’s really helpful.

        Reply
  11. ShaunteW says

    May 21, 2013 at 1:00 pm

    Hey! Even *I* can braid! I really think I can do this! Thanks for the tutorial Adrianne- I am totally doing this with my girls. 🙂

    Reply
  12. patatipatatarte says

    May 21, 2013 at 5:52 am

    I find that your ideas of do-it-yourself are really Great!
    I do not very well speak English because my language is French,
    See you soon on my blog or on your blog

    Audrey
    Patatipatatarte.wordpress.com

    Reply
  13. Yvonne says

    May 20, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    Thanks for giving such good details. I haven’t made jewelry before and so many sites make the assumption that you know more than I do.

    Reply
  14. amy @ one artsy mama says

    May 20, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    This is so gorgeous and summery and fun! Pinning now!

    Reply
  15. Angela says

    May 20, 2013 at 11:32 am

    How long do you think it should be if I wanted to make a bracelet? I usually wear 7 in ones.

    Reply
    • Adrianne Surian says

      May 20, 2013 at 1:13 pm

      Your end caps and clasps will account for approximately an inch, so this should be braided about one inch less than you want your final length (which will include your knots, too). For you, 6 inches (and about 5.5-5.75 inches of actual braiding in between your knots). But for anyone else wondering the same thing – just subtract an inch from your preferred final length!

      Reply
  16. Morena says

    May 20, 2013 at 10:01 am

    I can’t wait to try this!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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