joannqn Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) I attended a MOPS group last year, and one of of our crafts was bracelets made with memory wire and beads. DD loved mine so I gave it to her. She continued to express desire to make some herself, so before Christmas, I took her to the bead store (we have a HUGE one here) to get wire, pliers, and beads. She made a couple for her friends who moved away. For Christmas, she got more beads. For her birthday, she got a box to hold her beads and more beads. She's considering making more to sell. For her birthday, we showed the girls how to make bracelets. They had fun and came up with five totally different styles. Edited January 16, 2011 by joannqn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Very pretty! I bet they had a lot of fun making those. My dd would love to make those, but she would have more beads on the floor, than on the wire! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Those are so pretty! DD8 got beads, wire, embroidery thread, and other jewelry-making supplies for Christmas, too. She and her friends love making friendship bracelets for each other — as well as decorative collars for their Webkinz, lol. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I love those! What a great idea:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 You went to Shipwreck, didn't you? Those are lovely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 The girls did a wonderful job, they look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Very nice. She could sell on Etsy! The one in the NE corner of your pic is a little more sophisticated, imo. I really like it as an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Those are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 What a great idea. I have never heard of memory wire. I think I might try this for my dd's birthday sleepover. So cute! How do you end them so the beads don't fall off? Also does the memory wire come in different sizes and if so what size did you buy? Thanks so much for the great idea and pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 They did a great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 You went to Shipwreck, didn't you? Those are lovely! Yep! And much poorer than I was before I took DD there for the first time. What a great idea. I have never heard of memory wire. I think I might try this for my dd's birthday sleepover. So cute! How do you end them so the beads don't fall off? Also does the memory wire come in different sizes and if so what size did you buy? Thanks so much for the great idea and pictures. You buy a pair of jeweler's needle nose pliers that have a very small round tip (no flat sides) and curl the end back on itself. The loop will be about 1 mm in diameter, if that. It's a bit trickier to do the second end when you are done stringing them. You need to clip the wire to about 1/4 inch and bend it into a loop. If you leave it too long, you'll have room for the beads to slide a bit. If you cut it too short, you'll have to remove a bead. If you aren't careful, you could fling a few beads off the wire (did it last night on one of them). Memory wire comes in ring, bracelet, and necklace size. They are one size fits all. I've seen two slightly different bracelet sizes; we like the larger size which is 2 1/4 inch diameter. You'll want to cut about four loops for each bracelet but you could do more; cut it too short and it will expand with the beads and sit on the wrist funny (the ends will be in odd places on the wrist). It comes in silver, gold, and pewter colors. You'll need some mats to work on. The bead store sells some foam-like fabric but velvet works well too. You want a dark color for working with light/clear beads and a light color for working with darker beads. It helps to see the beads but also keeps the beads from rolling and bouncing off the table. You'll want to go 10-11mm beads or larger. Don't go too tiny especially for kids. If you get square or rectangular beads (see NE corner bracelet), you'll need to stretch the wire straight to get the bead to move down the wire. Be prepared to spend at least $40 to get started on a few bracelets. DD now owns about $100 in beads, one pliers, one wire cutter, some wire, and a box to hold the beads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Very nice. She could sell on Etsy! The one in the NE corner of your pic is a little more sophisticated, imo. I really like it as an adult. It's funny you should choose that one. The woman who taught us to make these in MOPS said the bracelets made randomly were her best selling, and that was the only one put together randomly. The rest of the girls all used patterns. It's also the one made by the oldest girl, and her family is much more fashionably dressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Very pretty! I bet they had a lot of fun making those. My dd would love to make those, but she would have more beads on the floor, than on the wire! :lol: The youngest girl was 7, and she did great. I don't think she dropped a single bead. Her bracelet is the white one. It could easily be worn by a bride...very pretty in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I love crafts like that! Very creative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Yep! And much poorer than I was before I took DD there for the first time. You buy a pair of jeweler's needle nose pliers that have a very small round tip (no flat sides) and curl the end back on itself. The loop will be about 1 mm in diameter, if that. It's a bit trickier to do the second end when you are done stringing them. You need to clip the wire to about 1/4 inch and bend it into a loop. If you leave it too long, you'll have room for the beads to slide a bit. If you cut it too short, you'll have to remove a bead. If you aren't careful, you could fling a few beads off the wire (did it last night on one of them). Memory wire comes in ring, bracelet, and necklace size. They are one size fits all. I've seen two slightly different bracelet sizes; we like the larger size which is 2 1/4 inch diameter. You'll want to cut about four loops for each bracelet but you could do more; cut it too short and it will expand with the beads and sit on the wrist funny (the ends will be in odd places on the wrist). It comes in silver, gold, and pewter colors. You'll need some mats to work on. The bead store sells some foam-like fabric but velvet works well too. You want a dark color for working with light/clear beads and a light color for working with darker beads. It helps to see the beads but also keeps the beads from rolling and bouncing off the table. You'll want to go 10-11mm beads or larger. Don't go too tiny especially for kids. If you get square or rectangular beads (see NE corner bracelet), you'll need to stretch the wire straight to get the bead to move down the wire. Be prepared to spend at least $40 to get started on a few bracelets. DD now owns about $100 in beads, one pliers, one wire cutter, some wire, and a box to hold the beads. Thanks for the detailed instructions. That really helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Very nice, and I like the different designs. My girls want to make some now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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