Tips for Using a Jewelry Loom: Making a Bracelet with Seed Beads 
Looms can be used on a number of different craft projects, such as beading bracelets, and can help you complete it at a much faster pace!
Looms have been around for a number of years for a variety of items such as blankets, hanging artwork, belts and jewelry. The size of the loom will affect which projects you can work on. I have used looms in the creation of jewelry projects, such as bracelets, and have found that they cut out a lot of time, yet provide consistent and beautiful results.
I have included a number of tips when using a loom in making a bracelet, as sometimes the instructions provided with the loom can be confusing and unclear. Hopefully, these insights will help take away some of the frustration when working with your loom.
Setting up your loom
I find that the actual setting up of the loom is the most time consuming of my craft projects. But, when one knows how to do it, even this time can be cut down with practice. For instance, if I am making a beaded bracelet with Japanese seed beads, I set up my center beads as the focal point on a beading needle. Then, on another needle, I set up the variety of seed beads that will make up an adjacent row of the bracelet. I then count how many of beads on are on that needle to determine how many will be needed in each row beside the center beads.
After determining the number of beads needed, (lets say its 19 beads), you will then need to cut 20 pieces of thread for your loom. The number of threads needed is usually one more than the number of beads on the project. Some looms have grooves for the threads to fall into place. I like to wax each piece of thread to avoid scuffing when they are in use. All the thread ends will need tied or secured to each end of the loom and then tightened for best use. Looms will come with instructions on their individual use for the consumer to understand how to set up their project on their specific loom.
Beading the bracelet
I then cut a long length of thread, wax it, and tie it to one of the outside 20 threads to start my beading. All 19 of the beads can be added at one time. You can gently push each bead between two treads on either side of it. Once at the end of the row, then loop the beading thread under that last thread on the loom and go up and down through each bead and subsequent thread until getting to the other end of the row. Then the second row of beads can be started.
The loom saves the time of reinforcing every individual bead to its neighboring bead. However, I still like to reinforce each row when I reach the end of every new row. In order to do that, I will go down the last completed row with my needle and thread and then my newest row, and so on.
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Additional pieces of thread will likely be needed when your working thread is almost all used. To end a thread, it will need to be knotted securely at the end of a row. Then the new thread length can be added, secured and reinforced in the same manner as was your original thread. I usually secure the new thread a few rows back, and then reinforce it by going up and down the most recent rows with the new thread before arriving at and starting the new row.
The end of the bracelet
This is where I need to spend more time on my bracelet loom project. Some loom instructions say to tie the ends of each thread and possibly glue it and reinforce it somehow. But, I have found the most success and better results from individually reinforcing the beads in the last few rows by attaching them to their neighboring bead with the thread and needle. This makes for a stronger end result. After all that work, I surely dont want my project to loosen and fall apart, so its worth my time to reinforce the end of the bracelet.
You can finish your bracelet according to your pattern or preferences. For instance, each end of the bracelet can have a tab end beaded on either side, with some sort of connection, like a cute button. This is the style shown in progress in the attached picture.
Beading using a loom is definitely faster than traditional beading when you get the hang of it. Whichever beading loom you purchase, read the instructions carefully, and combined with the above tips, you should have greater success. Likely, you too will come up with your own pet designs, shortcuts and variations for your projects!
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Tags: Beads, Jewelry Loom, Seed Beads