The Couture Continuous-Loop Finish may take a little more time to complete, but the end result merits the effort. With the instructions below, convert emBeadT raw yardage into a continuous loop with no visible stitches or raw fabric ends. This high quality finish adds value to your finished piece and allows for more design options. Because the Couture Continuous Loop Finish does not have visible stitches, feel free to design your beading as sparcely as you'd like.

Getting Started

It's always a good idea to read through the instructions at least once before you begin.

Load your needle
Use UNWAXED Nymo thread, size 0 or 00, that matches the cording color you are using. Cut a 45"- 50" single thread, knotted at one end. Keep your loaded needle handy and ready to use.

Determine the finished length of your loop, but don't cut your cord yet!

Bangle:
Using your emBeadT cording, wrap it around the widest part of your hand so the cording is snug, but not tight. If you don't use the cording itself to measure, you will get a poor measurement. The bulk of the cording adds to the needed length. see Fig. A/B.

Or

Continuous Rope Necklace:
determine the finished length of your necklace. Don't forget that this will be a continuous loop with no closure, so at the very least it needs to comfortably fit over your head.

Add 1'' to your finished length then cut your cording. See Fig. A/B.

Hold onto inside cotton core and pull silk back and away from cut end of cotton core, to reveal about 1 1/2" of the cotton core. See Fig. C.

Cut off 1" of the cotton core, but DO NOT CUT FABRIC! Fig. D.

Carefully slide the cut fabric end towards the newly cut end of the cotton core. DON"T let the fabric end slide off the end of the cotton core, fig. E. (As you work the emBeadT Couture Continuous Loop Finish, sometimes the cotton core slips inside the fabric shell. It's very easy to retrieve the end of the cotton core, by simply inserting some needle nose pliers or tweezers, grabbing the core and sliding the fabric back away from the end of the cotton core.)

Secure the fabric to the cotton core by sewing quick, large stitches. Fig. F.

Butt the raw ends together and sew, Fig. G.

When the ends are butted together, make sure that the cording does not twist and that the seam lines up on either side of the cut.

Sew the butted ends together as shown in Fig. G. Stitches should be 1/4" wide, anchored deep into the cording, and should go completely around the cording at about 1/8" intervals.

Now cover your stitches with the excess bunched up fabric. For some reason this seems to be the toughest step for many people, but once you get it you get it.

Gently grab the excess fabric and slide it over the stitches used to secure the continuous loop together, Fig. H.

If you are having trouble, slide the excess fabric away from the stitches and try again.

Secure folded edge to the cording with small, neat stitches, Fig. I.

1. To begin beading, you will need either an emBeadT pre-finished product or yardage that you have finished yourself using our instructions.

If you are working with an emBeadT Pre-Finished Product, thread a 45" ­ 50" single UNWAXED Nymo thread, size 0 or 00, that matches the cording color, knotted at one end, and anchor the thread to the Bangle.

If you have finished the cording yourself, you will already have your thread well-anchored and ready to bead.

2. Planning & Design:

Anything is possible in terms of design, but here is a place to start. Our most successful designs with emBeadT cording have been studies in texture, whether it be texture via highly organized chaos ala Marla Gassner or texture that is based on a repeated pattern ala Susan Dring. In either case, the technique is the same.

Lay out your beads, starting with your largest beads first, moving down to your smallest. Try to picture how they will look layered next to and on top of each other.

3. Sewing on the Beads

Begin by sewing the largest beads on the cording one by one around the circumfrence of the cording. See "Tips" below for secure, invisible stitching.

Don't like a bead or where it's placed? Take it off, only one end of your thread (single thread) is secured to the bangle. Simply take off your needle and undo any bead(s) you are not happy with, and continue trying different beads.

Proceed to adding your smaller beads, fitting them in and layering them as your creation demands.

4. WATCH YOUR THREAD!

You will undoubtedly run out of thread. Plan to end your thread well in advance of running out. When you have about 20" of thread left, stop adding new beads. With your remaining thread, go back through your work and start randomly going through beads that have already been sewn on. It's a way of securing you work more without having to go through each bead twice. Leave about 6" of thread to easily knot off your thread.

Knot off your thread. This is VERY IMPORTANT: be sure to sufficiently knot the end of each thread you use. The security of your beads on the cording is only as good as your knots! It's best to make at least 3- 4 safety knots and then bring your thread end away from your knot before you cut it.