A Free Crystal Bracelet With Heart and a Crystal Giveaway For Our Valentines!

Crystals and Valentine's Day go together like…chocolate and strawberries? For today's Valentine's Day blog, I thought it would be fun to share a free crystal bracelet project, Bracelet With Heart by bead artist Miwako Nara, from our Create Jewelry With Crystals eBook!

There's no reason why you can't show yourself a little love today and stitch up this fun free crystal bracelet project. Or make two and give one away to your best friend!

Materials

• 4g blue luster size 15 Japanese seed beads (A)
• 2g silver size 11 Japanese seed beads (B)
• 80 aquamarine satin 4mm crystal bicones
• 1 aquamarine satin 6mm crystal faceted round
• 2 sterling silver 6mm filigree bead caps
• Blue size B nylon beading thread, or beading thread of your choice
• Thread conditioner

Tools

• Size 12 beading needle
• Scissors or thread cutter

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7

 Heart Toggle

Unit 1: Use 6' of conditioned thread to string 1B, 1 bicone, 1B, 1 bicone, 1A, 1B, 1A, and 1 bicone, leaving a 7" tail. Tie a knot to form a circle and pass through beads to exit through the first A strung. (Figure 1)

Units 2 and 3: String 2A; form a picot by passing back through the second bicone of the previous unit. String 1B, 1 bicone, 1A, and 3B. Pass through the last A of the picot and through beads to exit the last A strung. (Figure 2a)

Units 4 – 6: String 2A; pass back through the bicone of the previous unit. String 2B, 1 bicone, 1A, and 2B; pass through the last A of the picot and through beads to exit the last A strung. (Figure 2b)

Units 7 and 8: Repeat Unit 4, stringing 3B between the picots instead of 2B.

Units 9 – 11: Repeat Unit 4.

Units 12 and 13: Repeat Unit 2, connecting Unit 13 to Unit 1. Exit through Unit 1's first B. (Figure 3a)

Inner Round: String 4B; pass back through the third B just strung. String 2B; pass through the next 11B in the inside edge of Units 1 – 7. Pass down through the center bottom bicone, the 3A that form the picot, and the bicone again. Pass through the remaining 11B of Units 8 – 13 and weave in ends to secure. (Figure 3b)

Heart Embellishment

Loop 1: Begin 6' of conditioned thread and exit the second (inner) B of Unit 1. String 5A; pass through the center A of the next picot. String 5A, pass through the first (inner) B of the next unit. Pass back through the last 3A just strung.

Loop 2: String 2 A and pass through the center A of the next picot (Figure 4a). String 5A and pass through the first (inner) B of the next unit. Pass back through the last 3A just strung.

Loops 3 – 6: String 2A and pass through the center A of the next picot (Figure 4b). String 5A and pass through the first (inner) B of the next unit. Pass back through the last 3A just strung.

Loops 7 – 10: String 2A and pass through the center A of the next picot. String 5A and pass through the second (inner) B of the next unit. Pass back through the last 3A just strung.

Loops 11 and 12: Repeat Loop 2.

Loop 13: String 2A and pass through the center A of the next picot. String 5A and pass through the 1B on the inside of the next unit. Pass back through the last 3A just strung and the first 3A of Loop 1. Pass through beads to exit the middle B between Units 2 and 3 (Figure 4c). Trim the thread.

Bracelet Base

Row 1, Unit 1: Begin 6' of conditioned thread and string 1 bicone and 3A; pass back through the bicone and the next B to form a picot. String 1B, 1 bicone, 1A, and 2B. Pass through the last A of the picot and through beads to exit the last A strung.

Row 1, Unit 2: String 2A; pass back through the second bicone to form a picot. String 1B; pass through the B of the next unit of the toggle. String 1 bicone, 1A, and 2B; pass through the last A of the previous picot and through beads to exit the last A strung. String 2A; pass back through the bicone (Figure 5). Weave through the beads to exit the middle of Unit 1 (Figure 6).

Rows 2 – 22: Repeat Row 1. Weave thread into beads to secure; trim.

Bracelet Embellishment

Secure 6' of conditioned thread and exit the bracelet base from the first picot bead strung in Row 1.

Pass 1: String 3A; pass through the tip of the first picot of Row 1. String 6A and pass through the tip of the picot between Units 2 and 3 of the toggle. String 6A and pass through the tip of the second picot (between Units 1 and 2 of the base) of Row 1. String 3A and pass through the last 3A strung in the first set of 6A. Pass through the tip of the picot between Units 2 and 3 of the toggle again and the next 3A. String 3A and pass through the tip of Row 1's third picot. String 3A (Figure 7a); pass through the next (third picot) bead. Weave through beads to exist the last picot bead in the next row (Figure 7b).

Repeat Pass 1, working back and forth across the bracelet to embellish all 22 rows.

	Figure 8
	Figure 9

 Toggle Bar

Tube: Leaving a 12" tail, use 3' of conditioned thread, B beads, and two-drop peyote stitch to make a strip that is 12 beads wide and 6 rows long. Zip the first and last rows together to form a tube. Exit one end of the tube.

Embellish tube: Work 3-bead picots between each pair of end beads around both ends of the tube (Figure 8).

Attach toggle: Exit a bead in the middle of the tube. String 7B, 1 bead cap (small end first), the 6mm round, 1 bead cap (wide end first), and 6B. Pass through 1B, the bottom 2A of the picot, and the next B. String 6B; pass back through the bead caps and round. String 7B and pass through the middle beads on the toggle bar (Figure 9). Repeat thread path twice to secure; weave through beads and trim.

It's easy to get carried away by your love affair with beading books this Valentine's Day. One of the beading books that totally changed the way I look at the use of crystals in my beading projects was the ground-breaking Seed Bead Fusion by Rachel Nelson-Smith. With her innovative beading projects combining seed beads, crystals, and wire, I fell in love with 3mm crystal bicones — and my love is still going strong! Best of all, you can get your own copy of Seed Bead Fusion at a whopping 70% discount for a limited time in the Beading Daily Shop! You'll find new ways to love crystal beads!

Want to win a mystery pack of Swarovski crystal beads from our friends at Fusion Beads? Just leave a comment here on the Beading Daily blog and tell us which type of crystal bead you have grown to love the most. We'll choose 5 winners at random on Monday, February 17, 2014, and each one will receive a mystery pack of crystal beads. (Due to customs regulations, this giveaway is only open to readers residing in the United States.)

Bead Happy,

Jennifer