Winter Wedding Jewelry: Kumihimo Ice Bracelet Tutorial

This bracelet is something that will capture the interest of your guests with a winter ice look. You can make multiple bracelets for a matching piece to share with your bridesmaids. It’s a piece of winter that won’t melt.

Materials: 

• 4 30-in pieces of #3 white nylon thread
• 240  #8 clear glass seed beads
• Silver tone end cap with loop and clasp (6 mm x 4 mm)
• Round braiding board (found in the children’s art and craft area or you can purchase the Kumihimo wheel)
• 25 pennies and plastic bag (to make a weight)
• Jewelry glue

Directions:

Step 1– Take your 4 pieces of 30-in #3 white nylon thread and fold them in half, giving you 8 15-in threads. Make an overhand knot at the end where you folded them in half, leaving a loop. Make sure that your board has the dots looking up; place the knot into the center hole. Place a thread in each of the spaces on each side of the dots (nos. 32, 8, 16, and 24).  See Figure 2.

Step 2 – Add beads to thread. After threading your beads tie a small knot at the end of each thread to avoid beads from sliding off. You will need to weigh down the threads, so make a weight out of the 25 pennies and plastic bag. It will provide the weight you need to give you downward tension on your braid. Hang the weight from the loop at the end of the threads.

Step 3 – Hold your board so that dot no. 32 is at the top. Remove the thread in the bottom left gap (nos. 16  and 17), and move it across the board and place it in the gap to the left (nos. 30 and 31) of the two other threads. You should now have three threads on top and one at the bottom. See Figure 3

Step 4 – Next, take the thread in the top right gap (nos. 32 and 1) and move it across the board and place it in the gap to the right (nos. 14 and 15). See Figure 4

Step 5 -Turn disk counter clockwise, so that no. 8 is now at the top and no. 24 is on the bottom. Repeat steps 2-4, until you have braided 0.25-in braid.

Step 6 – After you have a 0.25-in braid, being adding the beads to the braid. Drop bead and tuck it under the thread that crosses to its new position. See Figure 5.

Continue to do this until you have a 6.5-in braid.

Step 7 –  Continue braiding without beads  for 0.25 in. After you are done braiding, tie a piece of thread around the end of the braid (2 or 3 times), and tie off with a square knot. Then, tie an overhand knot at the end, leaving some space between the knot and the thread. See Figure 6.

Cut the braid in the space between the knot and tie, make it as close to the tie as possible.  Repeat on other end of braid.

Step 8 – Add jewelry glue to end caps and place end caps so that it covers over the braid thread. Allow to dry 4 hours.

Step 9 – After end caps have dried onto braid, attach clasp.

You don’t have to use just clear seed beads, any type of bead, stone or pearl can be used to make this bracelet even more beautiful. For example, we found this Kumihimo bridal bracelet (Etsy, $35), Kumihimo bridal necklace (Beadaholic – full tutorial + supplies, $41.75), and Kumihimo pinterest board.  Your creativity is endless!