As you probably know, I really like making beaded bracelets. One craft item I've never attempted to us is memory wire. I just never liked the idea of it, but lately I've seen many pretty memory wire bracelets on Pinterest and changed my mind. No clasps, no crimps, and how easy these are to put on your wrist!
I searched Pinterest for the best tutorial and found
this one by Beading Times. Obviously I didn't follow this tutorial to a T. I used it for the basic technique and I like it because it's complete and very thoroughly explained. Another tutorial that I saw explained the process very well, but left out one important piece of information that every memory wire newbie should know. Pay attention here because this is crucial: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT cut memory wire with regular wire cutters because it could destroy your cutters! You will need (as specifically mentioned in the Beading Times video) a pair of memory wire cutters.
Who knew? I'm glad that I found out about this because I had purchased the wire and was all set to go and would have just used the wire cutters in my jewelry tools collection. Luckily enough, I saw mention of these specific cutters and ordered a pair from Amazon. Memory wire is made of steel and is extremely tough to cut and bend.
And this is what I came up with.
I'm not a good wired loop maker, but the loops I made were good enough to hold the beads on securely. Notice how I added charms to each loop to distract the eye from my less-than-perfect loops. And also because they look cute.
So what do you think, fellow crafting fans? For me, the result is good! It was an easy and quick project. I think it took me longer to choose the beads than to make the actual bracelet! Have fun with this - choose different bead combinations and you can choose more or less strands (or layers). Also, using smaller beads would result in an entirely different look.
I am extremely pleased with this project and give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. I'll be making more of these!