Beads and Wires

This is a diagram on coraling technique that I mentioned in my previous post.

I know it’s not very professionally drawn, haha, but hey, I’m not trying to showcase my drawing talent here, okay? The purpose of this diagram is to help you better understand how the coraling beading technique is done.

I’m going to outline the technique step by step below, but it may be difficult to visualize it through written instruction alone. With the help of the diagram, it will be easier to understand the instructions, e.g. how many beads to pick up, how many to skip, etc. I won’t say the diagram is perfect, but I hope it is clear at one glance.

So, let’s start coraling with seed beads!

(The steps for coraling beading technique below are simplified from Page 25, Beads & Beyond Magazine, Issue 6, March 2008)

1. Prepare a long length of thread, pick up 40 seed beads.
2. Turn back, skipping the last 3 beads (bead no.40, no.39 and no.38), sew back through 2 beads (bead no.37 and no.36).
3. Pick up 5 new beads (bead A, B, C, D, E), then turn back by skipping 3 beads (E, D, and C), and sew through remaining 2 beads on this branch (B and A).
4. Now go through 5 beads on the main stem (bead no. 35-31).
5. Pick up 7 new beads.
6. Turn back by skipping 3 beads and going back through 2 beads.
7. Then pick up another 5 new beads. Skip 3 beads, sew through 2 beads just added, and remaining 2 on this branch.
8. Sew through 5 beads (bead no. 30-26) on the main branch and repeat from step 5 until you finish this stem of 40 beads.

You can start making another or as many stems as you want, longer or shorter (i.e. 30 beads on the main stem for shorter stem, 50 beads for longer stem) as desired. You can also replace 2 beads on the ‘branches’ (see diagram) with a larger seed bead or a pearl for variation. Same goes for your choice of color.

What simple projects that can be made using coraling beading technique? Well, I haven’t made anything myself, but you may want to check out a pair of Russian Frost Earrings shown on this website. Coral-looking earrings look very nice if colors are well matched, don’t you think so?

I think I will try to make a pair of coral earrings this week. Yeah, putting coraling beading technique to practice!

Okay, this coral-looking thing is not a complete beading project obviously. It’s a beading technique that I recently learned from the magazine Beads & Beyond. Of course, the technique is called none other than the coraling technique.

It is part of the pieces that make up a mermaid bracelet featured in the magazine, something that you may want to wear to the beach or to a pool party. You can see the picture of the bracelet below…

So I have just made two branches of coral with this technique so far, hahaha! Have not thought of what kind of accessories I want to make with this coraling technique yet.

Definitely won’t be one as in the magazine coz I don’t want to make something bulky and ‘feels’ like kinda heavy.

If you happened to have this copy of magazine, have you tried out the coraling beading technique? Have you created something with the technique?

I don’t know about you, it took me quite some time to understand the instructions. But once I’ve got it, it became very easy.

If you want to learn this coraling beading technique, I’m going to show a schematic diagram and the steps for it (based on the instructions given in Beads & Beyond magazine) in my next post. So stay tuned!