This tutorial was requested by enderpearlz! This isn't the only way to make a flower cuff, but I find it to be the easiest way, especially if you're making multiple in one sitting. This was the first cuff I ever learned how to make, so I think this is suitable for other beginners as well! Use what you have on hand, but I recommend: - Up to 1.5mm opaque elastic string - Yarn needle - Lighter, to keep the ends of the string from fraying
Step 1
Cut a long piece of string, then make a single. This will be the bottom half of your flowers. Shift the beads to one side of the string before tying. Leave a little bit of string on the short end; I'll show you what to do with it at the end. The number of beads you use should be a multiple of 3 or 6. Use 6 if you want to use a pattern with an even amount of colors, such as black and white. I'm using 30 beads for a pattern of 5 colors. Check out my flower cuff template if you'd like to visualize the pattern before you make it: https://kandipad.com/pattern/flower-cuff-template-3422436
Step 2
Pass through 1 bead. We will be adding a bead in the middle of this set of 3.
Step 3
Add 1 bead in the color that you want the middle of the flower to be. Skip 1 bead, then pass through the next 2 beads. Don't worry if the bead is loose after you pull your string through. The tension of the string will get tighter as you work.
Step 4
Repeat the previous step until you get to the final flower. As you're working, make sure the center bead is always on top. This prevents the cuff from getting twisted up and helps keep the shape of the flowers uniform.
Step 5
To finish this row, skip 1 bead, then pass upwards through the next 3 beads. Your string should be exiting the center of the first flower.
Step 6
Add 2 beads, then pass through the center of the next flower. If you want one color for each of your flowers, make sure the beads you're adding match the row underneath.
Step 7
Repeat the previous step all the way around until you get to the final set of 2 beads. Make sure you're pulling tight enough that the entire cuff is standing up at this stage.
Step 8
To add the final set of 2 beads, pass through the next center bead, then the next 2 beads. We will be adding the top of the flowers next.
Step 9
Add 1 bead for the top of the flower. Skip 1 bead, then pass through the next 2 beads.
Step 10
Repeat the previous step until it's time to finish the final flower.
Step 11
To finish, skip 1 bead and pass through the next 3 beads. Passing through another bead adds more tension to the string, which helps keep the last bead upright.
Step 12
To tie the cuff off, locate the string in between the bead you're exiting and the next bead. Pass underneath this piece of string, but not all the way. Instead, leave a loop.
Step 13
Pass through the loop and pull. I like to put my thumb through the loop in order to keep the string tight as I'm tying. Repeat 1–2 times. You don't have to worry about the tension of your string after the first time.
Step 14
Cut your string, leaving a small tail. Leaving a tail helps keep the knot from coming loose. To hide the tail, push and pull the string through the neighboring beads. Folding the cuff to get better access to the bead holes and using a needle or other thin object to guide the string helps me a lot. Do the same with the short end of the string from the first step.
Hope this tutorial was helpful! Feel free to reach out to me on the forum if you have any questions, and feel free to experiment!