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Beading a necklace is a great way for a child to work on their hand eye coordination or for a teenager to make a low cost gift for a friend. Any way you look at it necklace beading is a great low cost craft to learn.
Supplies –
Beads
Pliers or Scissors
Necklace Wire or Fishing Line
Necklace Clasps
Tack or Nail
Safety Glasses
When buying your supplies you can use either necklace wire or fishing line to make your necklace. The necklace wire is more durable than the fishing line but it is also a bit more expensive. Whichever one you choose to use will make a fine necklace.
The first thing to do is cut a length of wire or fishing line to the size of the necklace that you would like. To do this take the wire or fishing line and pull a length out and place it around your neck. Find where you would like the necklace to hang and whether you want it to hang tightly or loosely around your neck. Make sure to leave about six inches of wire or fishing line that will not be used so that you can properly attach the necklace clasps at the end of your necklace. After you have decided on a length cut the wire or fishing line with your pliers or scissors. Be sure to have your safety glasses on when you cut the wire because small pieces, which could damage your eyes, could fly off when the wire is cut.
Next take a necklace clasp and attach it to one end of the fishing line or wire. This can be done in a number of ways depending on the type of necklace clasp that you have purchased. Usually it is done by simply tying a knot in the wire or fishing line to the necklace clasp and cutting the excess away with your pliers or scissors.
Now it is time to start putting the beads on your necklace. Take your necklace and with a small nail or tack attach it to a board or other surface so that it will stay in place while you put on the beads. Depending on the type of necklace you are making you should alternate between large and small beads to give the necklace a more full and attractive look. Place as many beads as you like on your necklace until you are satisfied with the way it looks or you run out of space. Try to leave at least two or three inches of unused wire or fishing line so that you can properly attach the necklace clasp when you are done beading.
After you have finished putting the beads on the wire or fishing line it is time to put the connection clasp on at the end of the necklace. Make sure that you attach the line or wire with a tight knot otherwise your necklace might fall apart on you while you are wearing it and that can be a mess. After you have attached the clasp cut the excess wire or fishing line. Again, be sure to have your safety glasses on when you cut the wire because small pieces, which could damage your eyes, could fly off when the wire is cut.
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