How to join beaded motifs to each other

With single-motif jewels, statement necklaces, all kinds of bracelets (except bangles that don’t have a clasp) and pendants we always face the same question: how to join the components to each other, and how to make sure that the clasps, earrings all turn the right way. Moreover, often we like to add some extra elements, for example, crystal pendants, or different glass components in metal settings. Sometimes the loops of these extra components make it possible to bead through them from front to back, sometimes from side to side.

Luckily, there is a simple solution for all of these situations, and today I’d like to show you some of the favourites that I like to use.
Read further to learn about all of them! In this article you’ll find my tips on joining beaded motifs to each other, and in the next one I’ll show you how to join metal components (clasps, earrings, connectors, drops) to your pieces.

Joining beaded motifs with each other

Before digging deep into joining beaded motifs to metal components, I’d like to share two examples of joining beaded motifs with each other.
In this first case, I am joining the motifs (Jaisalmer and a Peyote-bezeled chaton) directly to each other, without any additional beads. Since the motifs are relatively slim and there’s nothing in between that would rise the risk of the motifs turning sideways, it’s fitting to join the motifs to each other in one single place instead of creating multiple joints.

If you’d like to learn more about Peyote bezels, download my free Forget-me-not tutorial!

In the case of bracelets or when I’m using the cab as a connector, the Peyote-bezeled cabochon needs two joints exactly opposite of each other. If I’m working with a bezel where the starting circle can’t be divided by 4, there aren’t two Miyuki Delica 11/0 beads exactly opposite of each other. While a 12 mm round bezel starts with 32 beads, and I don’t face this problem, an 8 mm round bezel is based on a circle of (22) pieces of Miyuki Delica beads, and there aren’t two beads in the middle that f=would face one another. I solve this by adding a ‘bead in the ditch.’ On one side of the bezel, the joint will be part of the middle row, on the other side the extra bead that I added. This might also come handy when I’m adding another kind of component, as sometimes I want to create more distance between the component and the bezel.

Adding a ‘bead in the ditch’ means adding a new seed bead (usually Miyuki Delica 11/0, but doesn’t have to be) between two beads in the same row of the bezel, usually in the middle row. On the illustration the faded beads are part of the bezel and the bead in full colour is the new one in the ditch.

If you’d like to create more distance between the components, you can add extra beads using square stitch. It means choosing two beads where the holes of the beads are parallel to each other, and beading through them alternately at least twice.

I use the same square stitch for connecting the elements themselves. In this case, it’s nice if the colour of your thread blends in with the colour of your beads, as the thread will be a tiny bit visible on the edges.

Joining components with extra beads

Sometimes the jewel looks better if the whole design is airier and lighter. You can achieve this by adding more beads between the motifs. You can use smaller or bigger beads, even a group of seed beads. When using extra beads, I strongly recommend to create at least two joints, to prevent the motifs from turning to the wrong side.

A few years ago a beading friend, Corieanne showed me a little trick: instead of the threads running parallel in these extra beads, she advised me to cross the thread to even out the pull and pressure created. It means that if I was beading through the bead before picking up the extras from bottom to top, I’ll also bead through the bead on the other side, after picking up the extra beads from bottom to top. Since then I call this a Corianne-cross 🙂

Square stitch is the perfect way to join irregularly shaped beads to each other, too: in the case of the Sonia bracelet, I added 10 mm glass ring beads between the motifs. I created a loop wrapped around the rings, all the beads added to each other in the same way, one after another. Two loops created from 11/0 Miyuki Delica fit through the hole of the rings perfectly, but be careful, they wouldn’t work with a smaller component than this.

Do you have a preferred way of joining beaded motifs to each other? Or do you have a question about this theme?

Let me know in a comment!