DIY | Christmas Baubles

Make Your Own Beaded Christmas Ornaments

Make beaded Christmas baubles, bells and candy canes for your Christmas tree, window or a personal gift. These three photo guides show how to join beads with thread to create your decorations. Choose your favourite colours and follow the pictures step by step.

Find more inspiration in our blog post DIY Crystal Balls.

Jump straight to a tutorial:

• Beaded Christmas Baubles
• Beaded Christmas Bell
• Beaded Candy Cane

Beaded Christmas Baubles

The baubles shown here are made with square, faceted acrylic beads measuring 8 x 8 x 7.5 mm. The finished bauble is approximately 6 cm in diameter, depending on the beads. In the technique photos, we use blue-dyed jade beads and black thread so that the thread path is easier to see.

Materials and Quantities

• 120 square, faceted acrylic beads in dark teal, 8 x 8 x 7.5 mm
• 2.5 m clear nylon thread, 0.5 mm

The button adds one pack of 125 beads and one 90 m spool of nylon thread.

Add bauble materials to basket

One spool of nylon thread can be used for several projects. If you buy materials for more than one design, adjust the number of spools in your basket as needed.

Also have scissors, glue for the knots and ribbon for hanging ready. These items can be bought separately if you need them.

How the Shape Is Built

Start with a circle of 5 beads.

• Round 1: 5 circles with 6 beads in each circle.
• Round 2: 10 circles with alternating 6 and 5 beads.
• Round 3: 10 circles with 6 beads in each circle.
• Round 4: 10 circles with alternating 5 and 6 beads.
• Round 5: 5 circles with 6 beads in each circle.

Start with the First Circle

Thread 5 beads and place them in the centre of the thread. Pass the right-hand thread through the 1st bead in the opposite direction.

Tighten the thread so the 5 beads form a circle.

Round 1

It consists of 5 circles with 6 beads each.

String 5 beads onto the thread on the left.

Pass the right thread in the opposite direction through the last of the 5 beads.

This is what we mean by closing the circle.

Tighten the thread. The 1st circle in the 1st round is done. It consists of 6 beads.

Pass the right thread through 1 bead on the right (see image).

In the following steps, this is referred to as passing through one bead.

String 4 beads onto the thread on the left.

Close the circle.

Pass through 1 bead.

Make the next 2 circles in the same way.

Now you make the last circle of the 1st round.

Pass through 2 beads (see picture).

String 3 beads onto the thread on the left.

Close the circle and pass through 1 bead.

Round 2

It consists of 10 circles that alternate between 6 and 5 beads.

You alternate between passing through 1 bead and through 2 beads.

String 4 beads onto the left thread.

Close the circle and pass through 1 bead.

String 3 beads and close the circle.

Pass through 2 beads.

Start the next circle by stringing 3 beads … then you close the circle … and pass through 1 bead.

Continue in the same way all the way round.

The picture shows the 3 beads in the second-to-last circle.

Pass through 2 beads and string 2 beads on the left thread.

Close the circle and pass through 1 bead.

Round 3

It consists of 10 circles with 6 beads each.

String 4 beads onto the left thread.

Close the circle … pass through 2 beads … and string 3 beads.

Continue all the way round, adding 3 beads and passing through 2 beads in each circle.

When you make the last circle, you pass through 3 beads and string 2 beads onto the thread.

Close the circle … and pass through 1 bead.

Round 4

It consists of 10 circles which alternate between 5 and 6 beads.

You pass through 2 beads.

First, you string 3 beads.

Then you close the circle and pass through 2 beads.

String 3 beads onto the thread … and close the circle.

This was the 2nd circle. Continue all the way round making circles with respectively 5 and 6 beads in each.

Remember to pass through 2 beads.

When you are about to make the last circle, you pass through 3 beads.

String 2 beads … and close the circle.

Pass through 2 beads.

Round 5

It consists of 5 circles each containing 6 beads.

Pass through 3 beads between circles; follow the separate step for the final circle.

Start by stringing 3 beads on the thread.

Close the circle and pass through 3 beads.

String 2 beads.

Close the circle … pass through 3 beads … and string 2 beads.

The next 2 circles are made in the same way.

Before making the fifth and final circle of round 5, pass through 4 beads.

There are 5 beads on the thread now.

String 1 bead.

And close the circle.

The red dots show the last circle in round 5 (it consists of 6 beads).

Pass the right thread through the 4 beads marked with yellow dots … so that the thread ends meet.

Tie a double knot … pass the thread ends through 2-3 random beads. Apply a bit of glue on the knot.

Cut off the excess thread.

Your bauble is done.

Beaded Christmas Bell

The Christmas bell starts in the same way as the bauble. The first three rounds are identical; the rim then becomes wider. The clapper is made separately and attached through the opening at the top.

Materials and Quantities

• 154 pink acrylic beads for the bell, 8 x 8 x 7.5 mm
• An optional 10 additional pink acrylic beads for the clapper
• 3 m clear nylon thread, 0.5 mm, for the bell
• 40 cm nylon thread for the clapper, or FireLine 8LB as an alternative
• 1 closed gold-plated brass ring, outer diameter 18 mm

The button adds two packs of 125 pink beads, one spool of nylon thread and one pack of 10 rings. The nylon thread is also used for the clapper. FireLine can be bought separately as an alternative.

Add bell materials to basket

Also have scissors, glue for the knots and ribbon for hanging ready. These items can be bought separately if you need them.

How the Shape Is Built

Start with a circle of 5 beads.

• Round 1: 5 circles with 6 beads in each circle.
• Round 2: 10 circles with alternating 6 and 5 beads.
• Round 3: 10 circles with 6 beads in each circle.
• Round 4: 10 circles with 6 beads in each circle.
• Round 5: 10 circles with 7 beads in each circle.

Stitch the Bell Shape

Sew the first 3 rounds exactly as for the Christmas bauble.

Then sew the 4th round … 10 circles with 6 beads each.

And afterwards the 5th round with 10 circles, each consisting of 7 beads.

String 5 beads onto the left thread … close the circle.

Pass through 2 beads, then add 4 beads to the thread and continue in the same way.

Continue like this, all the way around. Then tie a double knot and cut off the excess thread.

Make and Attach the Clapper

String 3 beads … place the beads in the centre of the thread … and tie a double knot.

Thread 7 beads onto the two thread ends together.

Pass both thread ends through the opening at the top of the bell.

Afterwards, you pass one of the thread ends through the closed ring.

Tie a few knots so that the ring sits tightly against the bell.

Apply a bit of glue to the knots and cut off the excess thread.

Tie a ribbon or bow to the ring.

Beaded Candy Cane

Stitch a candy cane with red and clear acrylic beads. It consists of two identical halves that are joined at the end. Use two lengths of thread for the halves and the third to stitch them together.

Materials and Quantities

• Red, square, faceted acrylic beads, 8 x 8 x 7.5 mm
• Clear, square, faceted acrylic beads, 8 x 8 x 7.5 mm
• 3 lengths of clear nylon thread, 1 m each, 0.5 mm

The button adds one pack of approximately 125 red beads, one pack of 125 clear beads and one spool of nylon thread. Follow the colour pattern shown in the photos.

Add candy cane materials to basket

Also have scissors, glue for the knots and ribbon for hanging ready. These items can be bought separately if you need them.

Stitch the First Half

String 4 beads (2 red + 2 clear ones) … place them in the centre of the thread … and pass the thread back through one of the clear beads.

This is the 1st circle (see picture).

Now you sew the 2nd circle. String 2 red beads on the thread on the left … and 1 clear bead on the thread on the right.

Pass the right thread back through the 2nd red bead to form a circle.

Tighten the thread.

Now comes the 3rd circle. Thread 2 clear beads onto the left thread … and 1 red bead onto the right.

Then you pass the right thread through the 2nd clear bead (see picture).

Tighten the thread. Now you can already see the stripes.

Continue until you have formed a total of 9 circles, with the stripes positioned as shown in the picture.

Turn your piece of work so that the top two clear beads are on the left (see picture).

Thread two red beads onto the right thread.

And pass the left thread back through the 2nd red bead.

Tighten the thread.

String 1 red bead onto the left thread … and 2 clear beads onto the right thread.

Pass the left thread back through the 2nd clear bead.

Tighten the thread. Then string 2 red beads onto the right thread again … and form a circle.

Repeat this … make the next circle with 3 beads (see picture).

Then again with 2 red beads.

Then add 3 beads, as shown in the photo.

Tighten the thread. The candy cane now looks like the one in the picture above.

Pass the thread ends back through the last circle until they meet. Then tie a double knot, apply a little glue to the knot … and cut off the excess thread.

Make the second half in the same way.

Stitch the Two Halves Together

Now you sew the two pieces together. Cut a piece of thread approximately 1 metre long. Pass the thread through the clear bead at the top of the candy cane … and string one clear bead on each side of the thread (see picture).

The horizontal arrow points to the top bead on the other half of the candy cane.

Pass the thread through the top bead on the other half, then back through the first clear bead, as shown in the photo.

You now pull the thread ends through the red beads lying next to the clear bead. One to the right and the other to the left.

The beads and threads now lie as shown in the picture above. First, sew the inside of the candy cane together.

Place the two halves on top of each other. Thread 1 clear bead onto one thread end … and pass the other thread end back through this bead.

The candy cane is sewn together by forming circles with 1 additional bead … along the entire length of the cane, alternating between a red and a clear bead.

The next bead to be added is a red one.

Continue in this manner, adding one bead at a time along the entire length of the candy cane. Check that the pattern matches.

Finish the last circle with a red bead.

Turn your work over and stitch the outer edges together.

Add one red bead to close the next circle. There are now three red beads in a row at this point.

After that, alternate between a red and a clear bead again … until you reach the tip of the candy cane. The tip consists of clear beads.

Pass the thread ends back through random beads … tie a knot if necessary … and cut off the excess thread.

Your candy cane is now complete.