Summer Style: Beaded Hair Tie How To

Pony Up With DIY Bead Embroidered Hair Ties

If you haven't noticed - it's getting really, really hot outside! Southern California weather is a dream most of the year except for a couple of summer months when temperatures can soar over one hundred degrees. But it's a dry heat. 

Today's jewelry making project is hair jewelry - one of my favorites - all about keeping your cool and style at the same time. I've also made wire hair barrettes, but these elastic ones are so convenient to keep around.

I almost always have a hair band on my my wrist - and you have to admit, this looks much nicer than a plain old rubber band. And it's not that hard to make!

The other thing I love about these hair ties is that they are pretty inexpensive to make compared to buying them. 

I guess I got lucky with the flat cabachon stone in this - I'm sure it's faux turquoise (i.e. Magnesite), but I bought it as part of a component mix from FMG. Unfortunately, they don't have it in stock anymore, but I bought these mixes for 50 cents per bag - and there were a bunch of these cabs in the assortment.  Happy Dance on that purchase - especially since those types of things are so hit and miss. I guess it's similar to the stones in these magnesite cabachon mixes - at a fraction of the price.

There are two (free) tutorials to make this hair tie - the first one is how to stitch the beads around the cabachon with bead embroidery. The second is a step by step on how to finish the back and sides of the bead embroidered component and attach the hair tie.

I'm having a bit of an issue with the hair tie to bead embroidery connection. The hair tie needs to be able to stretch (obviously) but it can cause pressure on the bead embroidery to bend - and possible cause the cab to separate from the backing. BLAH.  

I'm thinking it should actually be connected through a jump ring - which would allow the elastic to slide. That means I need to sew the jump ring to the back before I glue it to the cab.  Details, details - they always make or break the final result.

I'll try that next.

Here's another project in-process.  Circular brick stitch - trying to change the naturally circular shape to more of a teardrop with the addition of some crystal bicones. This is also the first time I incorporated dangles.  Yes - always working on something to channel my inner Miguel Ases.  Someday it will all come together.

Nothing was particularly difficult about making this component - yet I'm not sure that I'm inspired enough to make a second for earrings.  I really should though - they look much prettier with the light showing through the back. Far more sparkly than they appear here.

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