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Adjustable Cord Bracelet (Tutorial)

by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved

With this bracelet’s adjustable closure, you can easily create bracelets that will fit wrists securely and comfortably.

The sliding adjustable closure also eliminates clasps that need to be fastened and unfastened:

This is a great bracelet style for guys and gals of all ages.

Stack up several of them on your wrist!

This is also a fun project to teach to kids, teens, and beginning jewelry artists of any age!

How to Wear This Bracelet:

Slide the cord ends through the tube bead to make the bracelet large enough to slip on over your hand and onto your wrist (shown in the photo at left below).

Then pull the cord ends to tighten the bracelet comfortably around your wrist (shown in the photo at right below):

Supplies:

• Cord – leather, satin, cotton, or other.
  I used 2mm thick leather cord.

  How Much Cord Do You Need?
  Measure the wrist that will be wearing the bracelet.
  Then add 8″ (203mm) to the wrist measurement.

  Example: Wrist measurement of 7″.
  7″ wrist + 8″ = 15″ piece of cord.

• Decorative beads with a hole size that will fit onto your bracelet cord.
  I used 1 focal bead and 6 smaller beads, each with a 2mm hole size to fit onto my cord.
• 2 “end-beads” that will be next to the knotted cord ends.
• 1 bead with a hole that’s 2x the width of your cord.
  This is the “tube bead” that your cord ends will slide through to make the bracelet adjustable.
  So for my 2mm cord, I used a brass bead with a 4mm hole.
• A small clip, clothespin, or binder clip – to prevent your beads from sliding off the cord.

How to Make an
Adjustable Cord Bracelet

We’ll start out by choosing the beads for this project.

I decided on a coppery focal bead, to be flanked by a total of six smaller, patterned rondel beads – all with 2mm holes:

I wanted to continue with the patterned rondel beads, so I used two more of them for the end-beads that will go next to the cord ends:

For my “tube bead” that the cord ends will slide through, I chose this brass bead with a 4mm hole:

I chose this slightly distressed brown leather cord, 2mm wide:

Now it’s time to cut the length of cord you need for your bracelet.

After measuring my wrist at 6.5″ (165mm), I added 8″ (203mm) extra for the knots and bracelet ends.

So I cut off a piece of cord 14.5″ (368mm) long:

After cutting the bracelet cord, it’s time to add the decorative beads:

String the beads onto the cord:

. . . and slide them around to the center of the cord.

Then keep the beads in place by clamping a beading clip at one end of the beads:

Next, to keep the beads centered in place on the cord, we’ll make a simple knot in the cord, at each end of the beads.

We’ll make the first knot at the cord end that isn’t clamped.

First make a little loop in the cord, right next to the beads:

. . . then pass the cord end through the loop to make the knot:

As you tighten the knot, snug it up against the beads:

The finished knot should look like this:

Then make an identical knot at the other end of the beads:

Next, we’ll add the tube bead that has the 4mm hole, to create the bracelet’s sliding adjustable feature:

String the tube bead onto one end of your bracelet cord:

Then string one of your end-beads onto the cord:

Now we’ll make a small knot at the end of the cord.

Start by making a loop at the cord end:

Then pass the cord end through the loop to make the knot:

Then tighten the knot, sliding it toward the end of the cord.

Next, string the remaining cord end through the tube bead:

Then string your remaining end-bead onto the cord:

. . . and finish off this cord end with the same type of knot you made at the first cord end:

Now your adjustable cord bracelet is finished: