Description
Tila Beads Bracelet
This tila beads bracelet tutorial first appeared in an issue of the Beadworker’s Guild Journal in July 2014. I designed the bracelet as a project that would enable me to mix and match my jewellery to different outfits.
Make the bracelet strap with tila beads and size 11 delicas in a neutral colour. You will create a peyote stitch toggle hole on either end through which you can fasten a separate toggle clasp. The fact that the toggle is entirely separate meant that I was able to make several different toggles, in different colours, to match different outfits. All I need to do is switch around the toggle and the whole bracelet suddenly takes on a different look! Wear the toggle clasp on the back of the wrist so that is becomes a feature of the jewellery.
Tips
Tila beads fascinate me – I love their shape and smooth texture. I first had the idea of using them in this strap design after seeing a large advert for a designer man’s watch. You know the sort…with a metal strap made from square links. It immediately made me think of tila beads.
So I went home and spent some time trying to work out how to replicate the design using these beads. It was clearly a brick stitch pattern. I just needed to work out the thread path for this basic technique when using these two-holed beads! The delicas add a final touch to neaten up the edges, as you will see when you follow the pattern. This makes a very simple, classic design.
For the toggle clasp, I bezelled around a Polaris cabochon. Then used a combination of 4mm faceted beads, rizos and superduos to create a more ornate edging to frame the cabochon. Use Peyote stitch to make the toggle on the back.
The toggle section doesn’t take too long to make, so it’s great fun to run up different colour schemes. It can also be a good way of using up small quantities of superduos, rizos and faceted beads. If you enjoy beading around cabochons, then you might like my book, Bead Embellished Cabochons. Or you could try one of the other cabochon projects I have for sale as tutorials on this site.
