Button Clasp Necklace

By: Carole Rodgers for Beadalon

Use seed beads to create this intricate and fashionable button clasp necklace project.

Button Clasp Necklace Jewelry Project

Materials:

1 - Black 3/4 - 7/8 in. shank button
8/0 Matte blue AB seed beads (A)
11/0 Purple seed beads (B)
11/0 Black opaque seed beads (C)
14/0 Black opaque seed beads (D)
2 - 2 in. squares of black ultrasuedeT
1 - 2 in. squares of black card stock
1 - VelcroT black dot fastener
Beadalon DandyLine black .006 in. diam. thread
1 - Sharps beading needle, size 10
Scissors
Gem-TacT permanent adhesive
Fabri-TacT fabric glue
Bead sorting dish or fabric

Steps:

Instructions for Necklace:

Single thread your needle with one to two yards of black DandyLine. Tie a stop bead 12 in. from the end.
Refer to the section of your instructions for doing Peyote Stitch. Because we are going to tighten the work later it is important that you work with very loose tension.
Thread on 4 of the black 14/0 beads (D), 2 purple (B) and 1 blue (A) and push them up against the stop bead. The first 6 beads will be your first and second rows. The blue one is the start of the third row. Pass the needle through the fifth bead. See Figure 1. Pull thread snug until the seventh bead sits on the sixth bead. See Figure 2.
Pick up 1 B bead and pass through the third bead in the first pick up and pull up until the new bead sits on the fourth bead. See Figure 3.
Pick up 1 D bead and pass through the first bead so the new D bead sits on the second bead. Refer to Figure 4. You have now completed the third row. Each row will consist of three beads.
To begin the fourth row, pick up 1 D bead. See Figure 5. Pass through the ninth bead. Pick up 1 B bead and pass through the eighth bead you added. Pick up 1 A bead and pass through the seventh bead. You have now completed the fourth row. Figure 6 shows the progression of the pattern.
Continue weaving the pattern back and forth following the graph in Figure 7 until it is the desired length. It will shrink some after the final step so use this as a guide: the sample has 31 blue sections and measures approximately 16 in. The blue sections are about ½ in. long. Add or subtract using this measurement.
When you have reached the desired length, stitch several all black rows at the end. Do not tie off thread. Go to the beginning and untie stop bead and do the same amount of all black rows on that end as well.
Double thread your needle so your doubled thread is several inches longer than the length of your beaded piece. Tie a stop bead within 5 in. of the end. Start on the purple row and pass your needle through all the purple beads in a diagonal line across the piece. Pass to next purple bead on the edge of the piece and pass thread through those beads to the other side. Continue working your way through the piece by weaving through the purple beads. Pull the thread up very snugly as you go. It will begin to gather up the piece making the blue sections pop out. When you reach the end, work these threads through the piece and tie off. Be sure to glue the knots as you tie them.
Set necklace aside - it's time to work on the clasp.

Instructions for Clasp:

Remove the shank from the button. Glue the button to one piece of the UltraSuede. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.
Single thread your needle with DandyLine. Tie a big knot that won't pass through your backing material on the very end of your thread. Come up from the underside of the backing material at the edge of the button about a half a bead width from the button and pull thread through until the knot is tight against the backing material.
Pick up 2 B beads (purple). Lay them tightly against the button and pass the needle back through the backing tight against the last bead. Come up in the first hole again and pass through the beads one more time.
Pick up 2 more beads and take needle down through the backing tight against the new beads. Bring needle up through the second hole and pass through the second two beads again. Be sure to follow the curve of the button.
Thread on 2 new beads. Pass back through the backing. Then come up through the backing between the second and third sets of beads. Pass through the third set again and pick up 2 more beads. Continue in this manner until you have completely encircled the button. Try to work in an even number of beads.
Pass the thread back through all the beads to tighten the ring. Pass thread to the underside and secure it in the stitching. You are now ready to continue making the beaded bezel.
Bring the needle up between two beads and pick up one bead. Skip one bead and pass through the next bead in the base ring. Come out between the next two beads and pick up another bead. Continue in this manner around the ring. You are doing Peyote Stitch around the ring.
When you get back to where you started, work up through two beads and make the next row in the same fashion. Make several rows. When you have done enough rows to come up over the edge of the button, make a row in the D beads. Pull the thread up snugly and pass through this row again. Pass thread to underside by working through the weaving. Tie off threads.
Use the Fabri-TacT to glue the piece of card stock to the underside of the UltraSuedeT. Double thread your needle. Tie a large knot in the very end. Pass the needle through the backing material from the underside and come up one half a blue beads' width from the button. Begin stringing on an even number of blue beads to make a ring around your button.
The string of beads should be snug but not tight around your bezel. It will tighten up as you couch it in place. When you have completed your ring of beads pass back through it again to strengthen it and take your needle and thread through to the underside of the backing material. Tie off your thread by making a couple of passes through the stitches on the back but do not cut it.
Bring your needle up in the middle of one side on the outside of your bead ring and very close to your beads. Take needle up and over the bead ring and down directly opposite where you came up and back down through the backing. Pull your thread snug.
Go directly across the bead ring and make a stitch. Then divide the two halves you have made and do a stitch in the center of each half. You will have a lot of thread crossing on the back but no one will see it once you are done. This technique will keep the bead ring evenly spaced. Starting at one point and proceeding around the ring can cause puckers or pulls at the other end.
Start couching between every two beads until you have gone completely around the ring.
Come up between the blue row of beads and the beaded bezel with a single thread. Pick up enough D beads to make a ring around the bezel. Pass through the ring again. Carefully couch it in place above the blue ring.
Carefully trim away the excess UltraSuedeT from around the button. Be very careful not to cut any of the threads. Cut a backing piece from the other piece of UltraSuedeT using the button piece as a pattern. Set aside.
Bury a thread on the underside of the button. Bring thread out between two blue beads. Pick up 1 B, 1 C and 1 B. Skip one blue bead and pass into the next blue bead and pull snug. Repeat around the ring. Bury threads in work and tie off.

Completing the Necklace:

Separate the halves of the VelcroT fastener. Stick the back of the rough half of the VelcroT fastener to a scrap of UltrasuedeT and trim so they are the same size. Blanket Stitch the edges together. Sew one end of the necklace strap carefully to the very edge of the fastener.
Sew the other end of the necklace to the softer VelcroT fastener. Then sew it to the UltraSuedeT backing piece, centered and closer to one edge so the necklace end is close to the edge of the circle. Attach it with a running stitch.
Glue the backing piece/fastener to the back of the button. Use a blanket stitch to edge stitch the two pieces of UltraSuedeT together.