Monday, February 7, 2011

Tutorial: How to Make a Chinese Jade/Stone Bracelet with a Sliding Extender - It's so easy! (Part 2)

Now the real fun begins! It may be a little bit challenging for some people but I know you can do it if you put your heart into it.

The sliding extender is basically a flat knot in Chinese knotting terms. Having a pair of cords in the center is the most versatile form when it comes to bracelet and necklace making. The center cords are known as 'lazy' cords. Now we're going to use the leftover cords from the bracelet you've been working on as the lazy cords. Lay the two ends of the cord parallel to each other but pointing in opposite directions. Please see the picture of the finished bracelet below.


I usually tie the flat knot before I tie the last two small beads in place. That way I can decide on how long I want the two little 'tails' to be. When the bracelet is fully closed, the tails are about 1" long. It's your preference whether you have them longer or shorter.


Now cut two 10 - 12" cords. In order to show the process more clearly, I have three different colored cords here.

The flat knot consists of two overhand knots: the first is worked left over right, around the lazy cords: and the second is worked right over left, also around the lazy cords.



Tighten the cords as you go and make sure they're tight before you go to the next step. Repeat step 2 and 3 until you have 3/4" to 1" in length. First, cut off the extra cord from one of the four ends with a pair of scissors, leaving only about 1/8" in length. Seal that end with a candle flame and press it flat. Repeat the same process for the rest of the three cords. Please see the finished knot below



Now pull the two center cords away from each other until the bracelet is fully closed. Tie a knot about 1" away from the flat knot. Add one of the two 6mm beads and tie another knot on the other side of the bead to hold it in place. Seal the end. Finish the other end in the same way.


Now you have a finished bracelet you made yourself. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

If you want to try this but don't have the supplies, I have a bracelet kit available in my etsy shop now. Your supplies are for two adult-size bracelets and will arrive in a beautiful organza bag. You can keep your very own handmade bracelets in it after you're done.

For more information about this kit, click on the link below.






1 comment:

  1. `I have been looking for a pattern or someone to show how it works, When we adopted our daughter from China, we toured the jade factory and I bought a jade bracelet made like this. A few years later I wore it out and I wanted to fix it or make it with new cord. Every one was so hard I couldn't do it. Thank You so much for your help I will be fixing it this week.

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