Daisy Chain Amulet Bag Strap

Beads:

The pattern uses the following quantities of beads per inch of strap. Be sure to multiply the numbers below by the total number of inches that your strap will have.

• 24 size 15/0 round Miyuki seed beads (also called rocailles) in opaque lime (A)
• 4 size 11/0 Delica cylinder beads in opaque luster salmon (B)
• 8 size 11/0 Declicas in opaque pumpkin (C)
• 8 size 11/0 Delicas in opaque luster dark pewter (D)

I ordered the round seed beads at U Bead It and the Delicas at Fire Mountain.

Note that the A beads for this strap are round seed beads, rather than cylinder beads. This gives the flowers a more rounded look; cylinder beads would make them look blocky.

Tip: We'll actually make two strap segments, one to attach to each side of the amulet bag. Your total inches of strap will, of course, be the length of each strap multiplied by 2.

Key Supplies:

• 6-pound FireLine beading thread in black or clear
• Hobby knife or kids' craft scissors
• Size 10 or 12 beading needle
• Thread burner

Learn more about the most essential supplies for beadweaving.

Pull and cut an arm's span length of FireLine. I recommend using a hobby knife or children's craft scissors for the cut, to keep the thread from dulling your beading scissors. Thread the needle for single-strand beadweaving.

Pick up 8A and slide them down to about six inches from the end of the thread. Hold the beads between your fingers and pass the needle through the first A that you picked up, going in the same direction. Pull the thread to create a ring a beads.

Please click on the images for full-size views of the diagrams.

• Learn more about "picking up" and other bead pattern terms.

Pick up 1B and pass down through the fifth A that you previously picked up. Hold the beads between your fingers and pull the thread tight.

Tip: If you're not careful, the daisy chain stitch can be prone to overly loose thread tension. This is especially the case when you use cylinder beads, which have very large holes in relation to their overall size. If you'd really like to minimize the amount of thread that shows, I recommend passing through each stitch in your chain twice. Just be sure to bring the needle out through the correct bead, as shown in the diagrams.

Pick up 2C, 2A, and 2C. Pass down through the two beads on this side of the first daisy, and then through the first 2C and the 2A again.

Hold the beadwork between your fingers and pull the thread tight.

This completes the first set of connector beads between daisies in the chain.

Pick up 6A to begin the next daisy. Pass up through the lower A on the side of the connector segment, and pull the thread tight. (Be careful not to pass through both A beads on the side of the connector segment, which would make your daisy lopsided.)

Pick up 1B for the center of the second daisy, and pass up through the upper A of the two stacked As on the other side of the daisy. Pull the thread taut.

Begin the next connector segment by picking up 2D, 2A, and 2D. Pass down through the 2A on the side of the last daisy, and through the first 2D and the 2A that you just picked up. Pull the thread tight.

Begin the next daisy by picking up another set of 6A and passing down through the upper of the 2A on the edge of the previous connector segment.

Pick up 1B for the center of the daisy, and pass down through the lower of the 2A on the opposite side of the daisy.

Continue this process to elongate your chain. Stop when it's as long as you'd like each segment of your amulet bag strap to be (remember that there will be two), and end with a connector segment.

If you begin to run out of thread along the way, stop and begin a new one.

Locate the row on the back of your amulet bag that is exactly one row above the top row on the front of the bag. Pass the needle through the first (or last) two beads in that row, and pull the thread taut so that the daisy chain slides down against the amulet bag.

Pass through the last two beads in the daisy chain, as shown in the diagram on the left. Pull the thread tight.

Stitch through all four beads at least two or three more times for security.

Weave the thread back into the daisy chain, making half-hitch knots along the way, and then use a thread burner to trim it close to the beadwork.

Repeat the entire process to make a second, matching daisy chain, but this time leave a 12-inch thread tail when you start. We'll use that tail later to make part of the clasp.

Stitch the second chain onto the two adjacent beads on the opposite end of the same row that you stitched the first daisy chain. (Make sure you pick the correct row; otherwise, your strap will be off kilter.)

Weave-in and end (with the thread burner) all of the thread tails except the tail that you initially left when you started each chain.

You're now ready to make the clasp.