Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring
Recycle ordinary plastic package wrapping into this unusual organic looking ring.
These Directions Feature Techniques from my book:
Bags to Beads
by Lori Fellows
Over 150 photos guide you step-by-step to safely and easily recycle ordinary plastic grocery bags and other household
plastic into durable, delightful beads.
Round, Square, Heart, Buttons, Faux-Bois Tube shapes and more.
Clear instructions show you how to:
*Keep safe when using plastic. There's even a section on what NOT to do!
*Cut plastic bags to ensure that your beads are uniform in size.
*Shape the plastic using only your hands and inexpensive tools.
*Make bead holes, then paint and seal you beads.
*Gallery of beautiful projects using Plastic Bag Beads.
To learn more and to purchase Bags to Beads go to my website:
lorifellows.coffeecup.com
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
A few things before you start:
*The next time you go shopping, notice all the different colors of plastic wrapping that's used to
package things. Many of these can be recycled into colorful beads. A silly as sounds, my favorite
colored plastic is toilet paper wrapping. I purchase the larger “economy” size packages. Each one will
make several beads and each bead will be unique.
*Please keep in mind that the plastic colors will darken as they heat and shrink.
*It's easier to make a large bead using a single wide strip of plastic than several smaller pieces.
*After you've read Bags to Beads , notice that colored plastic is usually thicker than
plain white or clear plastic. It doesn't fold as easy as white plastic bags and, when heated, needs to be
handled very gently. When rolling and shaping, use a very light touch.
*Do not over-heat the plastic. Colored plastic will retain heat for several minutes and the heat will
spread throughout the piece. As the heat spreads through the plastic, the entire piece will become
pliable.
*I've made hundreds of beads from plastic grocery bags and other colored plastic. You'll notice from
the photos in this tutorial that my tools are well used. I've tried to keep my photos as authentic as
possible, including my hands that spend a lot of time in garden soil! (Besides beading, gardening is
another one of my passions.)
Materials and Tools:
*Basic plastic bag bead making tools as per Bags to Beads, pages 5, 6, including a metal tapestry
needle.
*Basic wire jewelry tools such as wire cutters, bent-nose pliers, nylon pliers, etc.
*Ring mandrel
*Colored Plastic approx. 18” x 1 1/2”
*18-20 gauge wire. 20 gauge silver-plated artistic wire was used in this tutorial.
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
Directions:
1) Notice that there is a right and wrong side to the plastic. You will want only the darker, right
side of the plastic to show on the finished bead/disk. To do this you will need to fold the plastic
so that only the right side of the color is showing when it is heated.
Place plastic strip on work surface with wrong side facing. Determine the approximate center of
the strip (lengthwise). Fold each long side over to meet in the center so only the darker, right
side of the plastic is showing. Press folds firmly. Fold piece in half lengthwise, pressing plastic
firmly in place.
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
2) Following the directions and safety measures outlined in Bags to Beads, prepare to heat plastic.
With gloves on, wrap the strip around your finger as shown. Slip tweezers onto plastic to hold in place,
and remove your finger.
3) Start to heat plastic in the center first, then around the outer edges. Flip it over and repeat. It's very
important to not over-heat it. Apply the heat just until it starts to shrink.
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
4) When the plastic starts to shrink, remove it from the flow of the heat. Remove the tweezers and very
gently form it into a round disk, a little wider than 3/4” diameter or desired diameter.. Gently pinch the
outside edges to smooth and round them. Again, using a light hand, gently press the disk onto the work
surface to flatten it. Flip it over and again press on work surface. Notice that I'm not pressing to
smooth the surface. I'm pressing to be sure the disk will lie flat. The wrinkled patterns are very visible.
6) When the bead/disk is cool, make a hole in the center with the tapestry needle. You want the hole
wide enough for two 20 gauge wires, so push the entire needle through.
6) To form the ring, cut a 30” +/- length of wire. Run it through nylon pliers a couple of times to
straighten and harden it slightly. Wrap the wire on the ring mandrel at the desired ring size +1. (If you
want a size 8 ring, place the wire at the size 9 line on the mandrel.)
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
7) Bring both ends of the wire together, looping around the mandrel. Wrap each wire tail around the
mandrel to make 6 strands of wire around the mandrel. Do not over-lap the wire.
Still working on the mandrel, bring both wire tails together at top. Using bent-nose pliers, bend each to
a 90 degree angle as shown. Thread both wire tails through plastic disk. Using your fingers, bend both
wire tails so they are flat against the top of the bead.
8) Keeping the ring on the mandrel, hold the mandrel with your non-dominant hand so your thumb is
firmly on top of the disk. With your dominant hand, firmly grasp both wires close to the disk. Bend and
rotate the wires and mandrel to make a small loop with the wires. Remove the ring from the mandrel
and flatten and center the loop with the bent-nose pliers if needed. Slip the ring back onto the mandrel.
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
9) Continue spiraling the wires together with one hand, while holding the spiral flat against the top of
the disk with the other thumb as shown. You can make the spiral as large as you wish. I like to keep my
spirals small enough to showcase the plastic disk, so I wrap the wires around only twice.
When the spiral is at your desired size, end with the wires opposite one of the sides of the ring as
shown. Using the bent-nose pliers, bend the outer wire flat over the disk and straight out towards the
side of the ring.
Continue wrapping the inner wire around the spiral to the other side of the ring. Bend it straight
outwards in the same manner.
10) Remove the ring from the mandrel. Carefully bend each of the wire tails around the side and back
of the disk as shown. They should be on opposite sides of the center, back of the disk. To secure the
wire tails, wrap/bend each of them once around the center back of the disk.
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
10) cont.
11) Starting close to the center back of the disk, and working on one side at a time, wrap the wire tail
around the 6 strands of the ring. Make 4-6 wraps as close as possible, squeezing them together with the
bent-nose pliers if needed.
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
11) cont.
12) Straighten the wire tail by running it through the nylon pliers a few times. Trim it to about 3/4”.
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
13) Make an inward facing spiral and fold it flat on top of the wire wraps as shown. Repeat with wire
tail on other side of ring.
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com
Recycled Plastic Bead Ring copyright 2012 Lori Fellows
14) If needed, carefully twist the disk to line the sides of the spiral parallel to the sides of the ring.
Tweak the spiral with the bent-nose pliers as needed.
Slip the ring onto the mandrel and carefully twist it back and forth to make sure it's nice and round. Slip
the ring off the mandrel and enjoy!
Experiment with different colors and shapes. Here's an example of a purple square button with two
holes. Small wooden beads adds depth and a natural touch.
Important: All photos and text in this tutorial are Copyright Lori Fellows 2012. They are free and may
only be shared in it's entirety.
Bags to Beads
contact me at: lorifellows55.gmail.com
For more free tutorials for beading with plastic bag beads, go to: lorifellows.coffeecup.com