blue beaded two button bracelet 2630

 This one has nothing to do whatever with knotting per-se but appears here anyway as an exercise in beadwork. The glass beads are a random collection predominantly reds and oranges but with a few blue and green and a couple of black opaque beads too.

In the correct lighting the beads glow with color as you can see in this photo. It's a nice effect.

The cord structure is very similar to the one button fabric bracelets. The framing cords are a 1/4" braided nylon hand dyed blue with two buttons and loops. Instead of edge binding the cords as infill the beads are placed between the framing cords and threaded on the four ply nylon. You can see the exposed stitching on the outside edges.

Size is medium-small measuring 7 1/4" (183 mm) inside circumference when closed.



                 Available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

two button rainbow bead cuff rope bracelet 2643

 This design is actually a pair of one button bracelets made from the same batch of infill color cords with the center seam filled with a row of brightly colored 10 mm glass beads.

This tutorial explains how to make a one button rope bracelet. 

Here are some other designs:
Grey and white one button rope bracelet 2635
Simple one button rope bracelet 2577

 The beads are stitched in using a piece of four ply nylon thread which is embedded in the framing cord at the edges, invisible in these photos though.

Made on an 8" mold this bracelet is about 7 7/8"  (200 mm) inside circumference. There is some shrinkage due to the compression that occurs with the edge binding process.

Measures about 1 7/8" (48 mm) wide.

The loops are made from the framing cord, buttons stitched in place on the gather end of infill cords using nylon thread.


                      Available here.



design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

soft suede toggle bracelet 2648

 This design is based on the traditional Nigerian african leather bracelets. This one is made with a skin of leather and stuffed to make a big soft pillow like bracelet.

The outside is a piece of brown suede that has been stitched together with waxed cotton thread. The closure loop was reverse stitched on a sewing machine and turned inside out to conceal the seam. The ends were bound together to close the loop.

 The closure button is a cork that has been carved to make a tapered plug with a button end. The cotton binding thread holds it in place.

The stuffing is polyester quilt batting inserted through the plugged end of the bracelet and packed in place with a chop-stick.

This bracelet look oversized but is featherlight and extremely comfortable

The inside circumference is about 8" (203 mm) but this design has a very soft quality and will compress slightly.

If you are interested in this design please leave a comment.





design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

extra wide beaded cotton cuff 2628

  All cotton extra wide beaded cuff assembled from braided cord, cable cord and lots of glass beads. The assembly process for this design involves making the two fabric sides separately and later joining them together with the big beads in the center seam.

The bigger beads are a variety of colors and shapes recalling a beach full of smooth stones. The small beads are like bubbles in the fabric.

  There are only two small buttons and loops which leaves plenty of space for a little "coastline" of beads along the ends. These are stitched on after the big pieces of the bracelet have been put together.

The tensioned nylon binding thread holds the shape of this cuff and gives it some flexibility.

This one is 3 1/4" (83 mm) wide but only 1 1/8" (183 mm) inside circumference giving it a nice long proportion.

                    Available here.

more of these in the fiber art section of my Etsy shop

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Spool bracelet two button cuff beaded tribal style bracelet 2535

 Continuing the series of tribal inspired cuffs this design is all whites, off whites, and grey. The beads are all clear glass some with a hint of purple color. The edges are a heavier hand dyed braided cord and the center area is made from the twisted cotton cable cord.

 There is an extra braided center cord that is bound into the thinner shell between the edges. Overall this one came out about 2" (51 mm) wide.

The off white buttons and loops come apart to make this 7 1/2" (191 mm) inside circumference wearable for people with bigger hands.


                Available here


More like this in the fiber art design section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

beaded cuff tribal statement bracelet grey, blue, green 2516

Another fabric cord cuff based on the Kuchi cuff form with the massive outer ribs and the thinner infill panel in the center. This one is grey with slate blue, light chocolate, and pale green cords offset by glass seed beads in cream, pearl grey, and brick red.

It is not as wide as a traditional Kuci cuff. the design measures only 2" (51 mm) wide instead of the 4" to 6" in some of the traditional cuffs.

The beads are placed in the cord matrix as the bracelet is assembled. Here you can see the beads in the infill cord which are a #30 cotton twine (about 1.5 mm diameter).  The bead color is more subtle than the photograph suggests.

When the nylon thread is tensioned the cords compress and the beads are held tightly together with the cord.

The ribs get a row of seed beads after the tensioning of the fabric is complete

The loops and buttons make this design open for people who might have hands that wont fit through a 7 1/2" (191 mm) internal circumference.   The weave and compression process left an open loop which was filled with a clear glass bead.

                         Available here

More like this in the fiber art design section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

grey and yellow beaded tribal inspired cuff bracelet 2517

 Here's another variation on the two-rib cuff design. The ribs are the layered clothesline cords that form the edges and are the structure of the cuff. The loops and buttons are stitched in these heavy cords. The infill cords and beads are laid out inside the edge cords held in place with long needles. Four ply nylon thread is passed through at 90 degrees and tensioned to form the cuff.

Each of these starts out with a similar structure but  develop into unique expressions as the materials are assembled.

The center row of beads are a collection of irregular shapes in a mostly blue green range. These are threaded into the nylon thread during the layout process. When the thread is tensioned the beads and cord are pulled tightly together forming a fabric. This tensioning process is done in sequence to gradually tighten the assembly from the center to the ends.

The resulting form is quite stiff and self supporting for a bunch of string!

 The edges are actually three cords arranged in a triangular relationship. This creates two seams on each rib: one outside, one inside. These seams are where the rows of glass seed beads are stitched in.

Colors are a mix of blues, greens and, off-white. The rib cords are a medium grey.

Size is a firm "medium" 7 1/2" (191 mm) inside circumference when closed.

Two brown plastic buttons and loops make this easy to open but secure when closed.

Look for this and other unique pieces in the fiber art design section of my Etsy shop.


design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop