Stringing using stretch cord

 Hello everybody!  I am trying (for the first time) to use stretch cord when making a "bracelet" for a watch.  How do you attach the cord to the watch.  Do you use crimp beads?  It seems like they might cut the cord.  This may not be a good idea, but it seems like I have seen this type of thing in some of those catalogs I get by the hundreds in the mail!!! Any help would certainly be appreciated.

Some people like to use crimps, but I would be afraid to for the reason you mentioned.  I suppose you would just wrap the stretch cord around the bar on either side of the watch face, then go back through your beadwork and knot it.  If you have enough space between the bar and the face, you could string a few seed beads around the bar to hide the cord.

I've never done a watch band before though, so someone else may have a better idea.

On my beaded watch, I used two elastic cords, one for each end of the watch. I tied a lark's head knot on each side of the watch face, strung the beads and then tied a square knot with both cords.  I tucked the square knot into one of the beads to hide it.

http://www.beadingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2009/01/02/using-elastic-in-jewelry-designs.aspx

Good luck!  Let us know what you decide to do!

 For Hannakah, I made a magnetic bead stretch bracelet for a friend who decided she wanted a specific clasp added to "dress it up" from the bracelets she normally wears (also made by me).  Why make a bracelet elastic and still use a clasp?  Well, because she doesn't like anything loose around her wrists, she likes her bracelets snug but not tight and still movable and expandable -- she has carpal tunnel in her wrists and arthritis in her fingers and her wrists and hands sometimes get swollen because of it.

 I used a combination of 2 things -- a crimp cover and I now can't remember what they're called specifically, but they're like wire or thread protectors...those little things that you string your wire/thread through before attaching to a clasp or jump ring, to give it more strength and stability, especially when stringing heavy or expensive beads or pearls.

 To start, I strung the elastic cord through a protector and through one part of the clasp, back out the other side of the protector and tied a knot, leaving about 1/4 to 1/2 inch tail.  I strung the bracelet to length and did basically the same thing at the other end with the other part of the clasp and a second protector and also leaving a tail after tying the knot.  I tucked the tails into a few of the beads and trimmed where I needed to.  To finish, I used coordinating crimp covers, very carefully closing over the exposed part of the knots on each end and making sure the elastic cord was threaded through the crimp cover and not crimped over by the cover when closing it.

 She loves this bracelet so much that it's now a part of her normal daily wear, unusual because she's not a big jewelry person and never wears a watch and only a necklace for special occasions.  It's been over a month now and it's still holding strong and pretty.  I wear magnetic bracelets everyday too and I'm even thinking of doing one up like this for myself.

 Hope this helps.  Good luck!

 Dawn 

 Dawn--Wire Guards! I never would have thought of using them for this, but it makes sense! (just ask SHerri )

Lois