millefiori beads are a very colorful type of glass bead. The term "millefiori" means "thousand flowers" in Italian, which aptly describes the look of these beads. They are made by fusing together multiple small glass rods of different colors, each containing a distinct pattern (often floral). These rods are then sliced, revealing the pattern, and fused together to form the beads. This glassmaking technique dates back to antiquity and was perfected on Murano, an island near Venice, famous for its glass art.
For our elastic bracelet, we chose red and white millefiori beads to get in the holiday mood. Red striped pearls are particularly well-suited to this occasion. The rhinestone rondelles and sparkling pendant add a chic touch to the bracelet. Wondering what to wear this bracelet with? While a festive black outfit will do just fine, why not go all out kitsch and wear it with a Christmas sweater or a jacquard sweater in the same tones? Retro vibe guaranteed. By the way, did you know that Albi, the town in which Perles and Co is located, hosts the world ugly sweater championship every December? In any case, whether you opt for a chic or traditional atmosphere, we wish you all the best for the festive season!
And if, despite everything, Christmas isn't your thing, or you're looking at this tutorial at another time of year, you should know that other colors exist, so don't hesitate to vary the beads so that the bracelet suits your style and the season. Some are multicolored and sold on a wire with several millefiori bead patterns.
For this elastic bracelet, we used a different method from our other tutorials. This time, we doubled a 0.5 mm wire. We could also have taken a 0.8 mm wire and not doubled it. Why double it? Some people think it's stronger, but we haven't been able to prove that yet. On the other hand, there are two other advantages:
1- If you already had 0.5 mm elastic thread, there's no need to buy new 0.8 mm.
2- The knot is smaller and easier to hide in a bead.
As you can see, if you've already bought 0.8 mm elastic thread, you can use it without doubling the thread. Simply thread your beads onto the wire and tie a double surgeon's knot.
Here are a few rules to know before you start making elastic bracelets: Elastic thread relaxes. Loosen it before you make your bracelet to avoid this problem once the bracelet is finished. Elastic threads cannot withstand heat, UVs, salt water, chlorinated water, cosmetics and perfumes. This makes them more fragile. Avoid leaving your bracelet in the car or bathroom. This is the case for all elastic threads and elastomers in general.
Important: Red millefiori beads have very different hole sizes. Make sure you have more beads than you need, in case some don't fit on the lined wire. Of the 3 bags of 10 beads, 8 had holes too small or too small for the project. The example bracelet is made for a 14 cm wrist. Adjust the number of beads to your wrist size. If it's larger than 14 cm, you may want to buy 4 bags of 10 red millefiori beads instead of 3, or use more white and red beads. The remaining beads can be used for another bracelet made with wired thread. Here's a tutorial to inspire you: Chic holiday bracelet.
Cut 55 cm of elastic thread. As mentioned in the introduction to our tutorial, stretch the thread to loosen it so that it doesn't loosen when the bracelet is finished.
Fold your wire in half. You can tie a knot loosely on the loop to prevent the beads from falling out, or be careful. If you do tie a knot, make sure you can pull it out easily at the end.
Among your red beads, find one with the biggest hole possible and set it aside for the end. It will be used to hide the knot.
The example bracelet is ideal for a 14 cm wrist. To find out how many red beads to add, perform the following operation: Your wrist circumference - 14 cm. Then divide the sum by 0.6 to obtain the theoretical number of beads to add.
On our example: 5 red pearls, 1 square washer, 1 white pearl, 1 square washer, 3 red pearls, 1 4.5 mm washer, the pendant, 1 small washer again, 3 red pearls, 1 white pearl, 1 square washer, 3 red pearls. The last pearl is the pearl set aside.
Pass one of the thread ends through the loop. Carefully pull the loop closer to the first bead.
Use the two wire ends to make a surgeon's knot. This is a simple knot, but instead of wrapping the wires once, you do it twice.
Tie a second surgeon's knot. Tighten the knot by pulling on the wire ends, but also by pulling the inside of the bracelet.
Recut the wire ends to within 2 mm of the knot. Apply glue to the knot, then slide the large-hole bead onto the knot and leave the glue to dry for a few hours.
You have a question about this tutorial? Ask it to our team and the people who have already tested it. The Perles & Co community is here to help you!
Credits
Perles & Co, Internet & E-Commerce company [24/11/2023] Any reproduction, representation, adaptation, in any form whatsoever, even partial, is prohibited, except for reproduction for private use not intended for collective use, representation in the family circle (art. L 122-5 CPI) and online publishing on condition that the source is mentioned and a link is included to the corresponding page of our site www.perlesandco.com.
