Memory Wire Seed Bead Bracelets
During our recent Walt Disney World trip, we came across people in two parks making beautiful beaded jewelry. I bought seed bead bracelets for my daughter and myself, and I am fascinated by the idea of wire bracelets that don’t need to be sized. I wondered how the bracelets stayed so perfectly round, so I did some research once we got home. I’ve made plenty of wire jewelry, but I’d never heard of memory wire. As it turns out, it’s easy to find in stores and relatively easy to use!
This is a process I’m still learning about and fine-tuning, but I’m excited to show you what I’ve learned so far.
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Supplies:
- Memory wire
- Seed beads (I used size 11/0 and 12/0, including these, these, and these)
- Wire cutter
- Pliers
You can find small packs of memory wire at the craft store, but I bought this pack because it didn’t cost much more to get a lot more wire in different colors. For this particular project, you really only see little loops of wire at each end of the bracelet, but I have options for future projects.
I already had a lot of seed beads in all sorts of colors and sizes, but I still bought a couple of packs when Michaels had a phenomenal bead sale. I like having a mix of translucent and opaque beads in colors that I know look good together. I started keeping bead mixes that I like in clear plastic containers, and that has worked really well for me.
My husband talked me into buying this memory wire cutter, and it is amazing. It snips the wire so easily, whereas my other wire cutter worked, but not as easily. Memory wire is tough.
I have been researching pliers that would make the loops easier to form, but I’ve been using two pairs in the meantime. One is a pair of round-nose pliers, and the other is a combo pair (with a wire cutter built-in) that has flat edges inside to help grip the wire better. I’ll try to explain better how I use them both later.
So how do you make a memory wire seed bead bracelet? Let’s do it!
The first thing to do is cut the wire. Memory wire comes coiled, and the cool thing about it is that’s how it stays. I cut it where it overlaps by a couple of inches.
Next, you want to make a loop at one end. I try to make the smallest loops I can, and I start with the round-nosed pliers. I hold the very end of the wire between a spot near the tip of the pliers and hold the pliers really tight while I wrap the wire around.
I’ve never been able to get the wire wrapped all the way around, which is why I use the other pliers to finish closing the loop. You may well be more talented than I am and able to just use the round-nosed pliers.
Once you’ve finished the first loop, you can start stringing the beads. I watched with fascination as the people at Disney World dipped the wire in a bowl of beads and made quick work of the stringing. I have not had much success stringing the beads that way, so I mostly string them by hand. I pick up a few at a time and start sliding them on. Even doing it that way, it really doesn’t take that long.
So far I’ve been stringing the beads in a random order, but you could certainly follow a pattern if you’d prefer.
I do like to work over a tray or something that can catch falling beads because I always drop at least a few as I go.
Leave a little wire at the end to make the second loop. Carefully hold the beads in place while you use the pliers to form the loop.
You’re done!
I’ve had an absolute blast making these. Once I get started it’s hard to stop! I keep coming up with new color combinations to try.
If I find a way to make the loops easier and more consistent, I will be sure to share! I’ve seen a bunch of different options… I just haven’t settled on anything to order yet.
If you make your own bracelets, I’d love to see! You can find me on Facebook and Instagram.
Happy crafting!
