Beaded Wind Chime Craft
- Details
- Category: 99+1 Days of Summer
- Published: Thursday, 05 August 2021 03:00
Looking for a fun craft to do, either by yourself or with your family? Try making this beaded wind chime! You can get the kids involved by having each family member bead their own strand, and use up some of your beads you have stored with your craft supplies. This craft is originally from gardentherapy.ca.
Materials:
- Assorted beads and charms
- Bells (or anything that makes a pleasant sound when the wind blows)
- Driftwood (or wooden dowel)
- Nylon beading thread
- Beading needle
- Electric drill and small drill bit
- Twine
Directions:
- Start by drilling holes in your piece of driftwood (or wooden dowel). The original author used a pen to mark where she wanted the holes to go. Feel free to make as many holes as you'd like!
- Pour your beads, charms and bells into small bowls or teacups, and sort them however you desire (by colour, size, style, etc.). Then cut a length of nylon beading thread to approx. 22” in length. Tie a bell to one end, leaving a few inches of excess thread at the end of the knot. Thread the needle onto the other end of the string.
- Begin threading beads onto the nylon string. The original author chose to have each strand be a different color, to create a rainbow effect. She also mixed in wooden beads and metal charms.
- Once you’ve finished beading your strand, unthread the needle. Then, making sure not to lose your beads, thread the needle onto the few inches of string you left at the bottom (from knotting the bell). Then insert the needle back up through two or three beads to hide the end of the thread. Snip off any excess string and carefully set the beaded strand aside and start the next one.
- Continue to create beaded strands until you have one for each hole that you made in the driftwood.
- Once you’re done you can lay the finished strands out and make any adjustments you might want. If you want your wind chime to hang at different lengths, remove a few beads from some strands and add some beads to others until you achieve the look you want.
- Next, carefully pick up the first strand. Thread the needle and string it through the first hole in the driftwood. Thread a bead onto the top of the wood and carefully tie a secure knot around the bead. Thread the excess string back down through the driftwood and through a few beads, then snip any excess.
- Repeat this process until all beaded strands are secured onto the wood.
- Finally, make a hanger by wrapping twine around one end of the wood, securing with a knot. Then allow some slack for the beaded wind chime to hang from and wrap the string around the other end of the wood. Secure with a knot (the original author also covered the end of her string with some kraft glue to hold it down) and you’re done! Hang outside a window where you can enjoy its beauty and hear it chime in the wind.
