Learn how to make a beaded rope necklace
A beaded rope necklace is a a great way to show off the pendant you made. This post features three beaded rope necklace options. I made the beaded rope necklaces using the peyote stitch.
About the Peyote Stitch
The peyote stitch is an off-loom bead weaving technique. It can be worked with even or odd number of beads per row. The form of the beadwork can be flat or in a shape. The stitch technique is virtually the same for the stitch variations.
About the Beaded Rope Tutorial
You’ll learn how to make a beaded rope necklace using the following peyote stitch variations: tubular peyote stitch, flat even count peyote stitch, and 2 drop peyote stitch.
Tubular peyote can be tricky for beginners. This is especially true if the beads you are using aren’t uniformed in size. That is why I chose to include a beaded rope necklace made with the even count flat peyote stitch.
It is easy to transform a flat peyote strip into a tube (rope) by zip stitching the long edges together. As an added bonus, I chose to include the two drop peyote variation (even count and flat). The only difference between the two drop versus the regular peyote (flat even count) is that you pick up two beads at a time. Personally, I like the subtle detail (texture) that the 2 drop creates. Plus it works up a little bit faster. You could also choose to work the tubular peyote using the 2 drop variation.
Pendant Tutorials
Click on the links below to go to a pendant tutorial.
Materials (example list based on flat even count peyote version)
The quantity of seed beads required to make a beaded rope necklace depends on your design choices—how thick and long you want your beaded rope necklace to be. Below is an example based on the silver flat even count peyote version. The necklace is 16″ without the clasp. A total of ten rows were worked (including the first group of beads picked up).
- 14g 2mm Miyuki Seed Beads Galvanized Silver
- 2 Bead Caps Silver
- 2 Jump Rings Silver
- Toggle Clasp
- Beadalon® WildFire™ beading thread diameter 00.20mm (.008”)–Frost
- Big Eye Needle
- Scissors
Beaded Rope Necklace — Using Tubular Peyote Stitch
Why choose the tubular peyote stitch for a beaded rope necklace?
You would choose the tubular version if you wanted the chain to have a soft drape.
Tip: Leave a tail long enough to wrap around your pinky finger. This will make it easier to hold onto your work and to have a orientation point. Some instructions tell you to cut the tail right after making the square knot in step two. I recommend waiting.
- Thread needle with the longest piece of beading thread that you are comfortable working with.
- Pick up 10 seed beads. Pull the beads into a circle. Pass back through all of the beads a second time. Tie thread ends into a square knot. Pass the needle back through the first bead to bury the knot.
- Start working the tubular peyote stitch. Pick up one bead. Skip the first bead and pass through the next. Repeat a total of five times.
- Step up by passing through the first beaded added in this round. Continue until you have achieve the desired length.
- Go to bottom of post for instructions on attaching the clasp.
Beaded Rope Necklace — Using the Flat Even Count Peyote Stitch
Why choose the flat even count peyote stitch for a beaded rope necklace?
There are four reasons why you might choose the flat even count peyote stitch to make a beaded rope necklace. The first reason is that you haven’t learned the tubular peyote stitch yet. The second reason is that you feel more comfortable with the flat version of the stitchthan the tubular version. The third reason is that you want a stiff necklace. The fourth reason is that you want a thin chain. The image below shows two beaded rope chains with five beads at the end. As you can see, the tubular peyote in black is wider.
Instructions
- Thread needle with the longest piece of beading thread that you are comfortable working with.
- Pick up the stop bead (any contrasting bead). Pass through it again a couple of times, going in the same direction.
- Pick up 292 beads or the number required to make your desired necklace length.
- Pick up one seed bead. Skip the first bead and pass through the next. Repeat all the way across. (You should have work 146 beads for the row.)
- Repeat until you have worked a total of ten rows. The first group of beads you picked up count as two rows.
- Zip stitch the flat strip into a tube. Passing the needle back and forth through the up beads. Weave in thread ends and trim. (For more information on how to zip stitch, click here. Please refer to step six of Peyote Stitch Toggle Bar post.)
- Go to bottom of post for instructions on attaching the clasp.
Beaded Rope Necklace — Using the Two Drop Peyote Stitch
Why choose the two drop peyote stitch for a beaded rope necklace?
The reason for choosing this stitch would be the same as the even count flat peyote stitch.
- Thread needle with the longest piece of beading thread that you are comfortable working with.
- Pick up the stop bead (any contrasting bead). Pass through it again a couple of times, going in the same direction.
- Pick up enough beads to create the desired length. Like the flat even count peyote, the number of beads you pick up to achieve the desired length must be divisible by two. Unlike the even count peyote, the resulting number must also be even. This is because you will be passing through two beads per stitch.
- Pick up two seed beads. Skip two seed beads. Pass the needle through the next two beads. Repeat across the row.
- Follow steps five through seven from the even count flat peyote stitch version.
Attach the Clasp
- Open a jump ring. Insert the loop of the bead cap and the clasp. Close the ring.
- Apply glue to the end of the rope. TIP: squeeze out glue on a scrap piece of paper. Roll rope in glue. Insert rope into bead cap.
P.S. If you are making this as a gift, or are thinking about your holiday gift list, then I hope that you will consider my book Casual Bead Elegance, Stitch by Stitch. To learn more about the book and read reviews, please Click Here.