This fashionable beaded kumihimo key ring makes it easy to find your keys—no matter where you put them. With seed beads leftover from other projects, you can create unique jewelry items to give to friends and family to hold office, house or car keys.
Beaded Kumihimo Supplies Needed for Each Key Ring
As long as you have at least 280 beads, you can finish a handy three-inch beaded kumihimo key chain that will fit easily into a briefcase, purse or backpack. Here’s what you will need to make one key ring.
- Assorted leftover beads or specialty bead mix
- #18 S-Lon Cord
- Foam Kumihimo Disk
- 1 Kumihimo Weight
- 1 Bead Cone
- 1 Kumihimo Jewelry Bail
- 1 Jewelry Charm
- 1 Gold or Silver Eye Pin
- 1 Gold or Silver Round Split Ring Keyring
- 1 Split Ring Jump Ring
- E6000 Craft Adhesive
Basic Kumihimo Braiding Instructions
Watch this Jill Wiseman video FIRST to learn how to set up the foam kumihimo disk, attach the cording, add beads and wind the bobbins. It will only take a few minutes to braid your project after you have viewed the simple video.
Tips for Making the Kumihimo with Beads Key Ring
- Cut (8) 10-12-inch strands of S-Lon cording. Use the standard disk layout to place the cords.
- String 35 beads on each strand of cording. You can increase or decrease this number depending on the size of the beads you plan to use. Just make sure that you have the same number of beads on each strand.
- Work at least one-inch without beads at the beginning as well as after the last beads have been braided. Make overhand knot and clip excess thread.
- Add large kumihimo bail. If the bail is large enough to slide over the beads, you can place it in the center at this point. If the beads are larger than the bail, you will need to attach it halfway through the braiding process, and then complete the rest of the beaded kumihimo.
- To finish the key ring, watch the video below. Put the two ends together and secure with an eye pin. Wrap leftover cording around both ends and the eye pin.
- Attach bead cone with a wrapped loop.
- Add the jump ring to the split ring key ring. Secure both to the wrapped loop.
- Attach the charm to the bail and enjoy your new beaded kumihimo key ring!
“And He has filled [her] with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills–to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze…to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.” (Exodus 35:31-33)
