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Right around the time I started this craft blog I had gotten majorly into beading and jewelry making. I wasn’t the only one… It’s like overnight I went from somebody who had a small amount of every day “fun” jewelry to somebody who had tons. In my wardrobe for years were these DIY Noodle Bead Stacking Bracelets I made back in 2014.
But with 3 major moves in about 5 years a lot of things got lost. Like these bracelets. Wouldn’t you know that scrolling through Pinterest I’d see my very own arm wearing these fun DIY bracelets? And suddenly I missed my colorfully beaded wrist candy and set out to make some more.
Supplies Needed for Noodle Bead Stacking Bracelets
Seed Beads
There are different levels of quality when it comes to seed beads. You have the finer seed beads that are going to be very similar in shape and size but come at a premium price. The second, and much less expensive option, are value seed beads. Often sold as kits you’ll get a lot more beads for the price but the beads might vary quite a bit from one another in shape and size.
I make a lot of these guys because I wear them together as stacking bracelets. And to match multiple outfits I will make a ton in lots of colors. Then I mix and match them depending on what I’m wearing. This gives me a ton of choice but could make this an expensive beading project. Because I’m more interested in quantity rather than quality, I choose inexpensive beads for this project.
Noodle Beads
Back in 2014 there were tons and tons of noodle beads to be found online. In 2023 I didn’t have quite as much luck. I wound up purchasing these noodle beads from Amazon because the price and quantity was right. They aren’t quite as curved as the beads I used for this original tutorial and they don’t hug my wrist as well. I attempted to curve them inward with a little bit of pressure but the tube collapsed and broke the bead. I’m still on the hunt for fab noodle beads and will update if I ever find them!
Elastic Jewelry Stretch Cord
Elastic cord is the one thing I think it’s better to purchase a good quality product. Since it’s the very core of these bracelets you want a cord that is nice and stretchy and will hold the finishing knot. My favorite is this elastic jewelry stretch cord from Beadalon. It’s just the best.
Super Glue
I love all of the Gorilla brand glues and so I have a ton of them in my craft stash. If you think you might find yourself using super glue quite a bit, I love this Gorilla Super Glue with both a Nozzle and Brush.
On the other hand, if you will probably use the glue for this one project and probably not again for a while, I’d suggest getting the cheapest you can find. I purchase multi-packs of tiny tubes from the Dollar Store or Walmart for a buck or so. It does the job and if it dries up before you need it again, it isn’t a huge loss.
How to Make Beaded Stacking Bracelets
These bracelets are truly so easy that it is a great project for children. I would suggest, especially if working with smaller children, to purchase larger beads and to knot and apply the super glue for each bracelet.
How to String Beads on Elastic Cord
Cut a length of elastic jewelry cord 8-10″. Apply a small piece of masking tape to the end and fold it over itself. This will stop the beads from sliding off of the cord as you work.
Begin stringing your beads onto the elastic cord. Notice how my beads are wonky and misshapen? At this point it is more noticeable than when the bracelet is actually worn.
Once you’ve gotten some length string on the noodle bead try it around your wrist. You want the fit to be kind of snug so the noodle beads stay in the right position on your wrist. But don’t make it so snug that if your arms/hands swell throughout the day (mine are awful) that it will be an uncomfortable fit.
Remove seed beads until you get your perfect fit.
Take note of the length so you can make all of your bracelets the same size. For my bracelets I decided to go with a length of 5.25″ of seed beads per bracelet. I kept track of the length with a small ruler.
In the original post I marked the length on a piece of masking tape and that works especially well if you find yourself beading without a flat work surface in front of you.
Knotting Elastic Jewelry Cord
With all of the beads on your cord, cut off the masking tape. Match up both ends of the elastic and create a loop close to the beads. Pull both ends through the loop and pull tight. Hold onto the knot and pull both ends. Then take the ends and pull them apart to put more pressure on the knot. Pull on bracelet to make sure the knot holds.
Pull the beads apart so that you can easily access the knot. Apply a small amount of glue to the knot to give it extra hold. Allow the glue to dry before releasing the elastic to prevent gluing your beads to the knot.
Once the glue has dried, trim the excess cord from the knot. If you’re also using the noodle beads you can leave a bit of length on the ends of the cords and pull the knot and ends into the noodle bead. This gives me a little more confidence in my knot but sometimes the ends will slip out of the bead and be visible.
Repeat with as many colors as you please!
If you find that your tails peep out, you can either trim them more closely or just pull them back into the bead. See the end on the lime green bracelet? A tail is very slightly sticking out and it’s not terribly noticeable. In fact, I had been wearing this set of stacking bracelets all day and I have no idea how long it was visible because if using clear cord it isn’t really noticeable.
Noodle Bead Stacked Bracelets
Equipment
Instructions
- Cut a length of elastic jewelry cord 8-10". Apply a small piece of masking tape to the end and fold it over itself.
- Begin stringing your beads onto the elastic cord.
- Once you've gotten some length string on the noodle bead try it around your wrist. Remove or add seed beads until you get your perfect fit.
- Take note of the length of seed beads to make a uniform stack of bracelets.
- With all of the beads on your cord, cut off the masking tape. Match up both ends of the elastic and create a loop close to the beads. Pull both ends through the loop and pull tight. Hold onto the knot and pull both ends. Then take the ends and pull them apart to put more pressure on the knot. Pull on bracelet to make sure the knot holds.
- Pull the beads apart so that you can easily access the knot. Apply a small amount of glue to the knot to give it extra hold. Allow the glue to dry before releasing the elastic to prevent gluing your beads to the knot.
- Once the glue has dried, trim the excess cord from the knot. If you're also using the noodle beads you can leave a bit of length on the ends of the cords and pull the knot and ends inside to hide it.
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This post was originally published on 2/10/2014.
love these so simple to make and give as gifts or to myself
I love this idea!!!
These bracelets are so cute! Such a fun pop of color :)
Hi Allison! I love these bracelets so much, I’m going to share the tutorial on my ‘Weekly Wonders’ post tomorrow morning! Thank you for sharing! ~Lisa
Wow, Allison, I love these so much! You have used my favourite colour combination too. Just adding this to my ever growing to do list!
These are lovely! Thanks for the tutorial. I’ll have to share it! :)
These are absolutely fantastic. I totally love quick n easy projects. Thanks Allison
mary these are the most ,love then and going to do this today ,will also pass on to my little niece as she is into as many bracelets as she can find thank mary
These are just gorgeous!