So you watched the video, bought some Acrylic Beads, got out your fishing Line, and thought Hmm, no trouble, just stringing beads on a thread, isn't it? Well, yes and no. That's the easy part. It's also the part that everybody's familiar with. The part you don't have to think about. The part that falls apart and the bag goes baggy, or sags, or just plain folds up and gives in is what happens next. Ask me how I know!
Looking for "how to make acrylic beaded bag" in a search engine and ready to be done in five minutes? Well, here's the ugly truth. A step-by-step of how I made one actual sample Bag (the one from the uploaded video), made with 8mm acrylic beads. Not a "10 adorable beaded purse ideas" article! One way, from the beginning to the end, using the numbers that actually created it. And I will honestly tell you where the things went wrong. (There are a few.)
Quick who-am-i: I'm Zoe, I run ZoeDIY, and I've beaded more of these bags than I care to count (and unpicked a fair few too). This walkthrough is the sample from our own video, with the real counts and the real mistakes. Not theory.
Before You Start: What This Acrylic Beaded Bag Method Uses
Here are the material lists, taken from the sample. Those numbers are for this Bag, the one in the video. They're a guideline, not a rule of nature. A different bead, or a different size and your counts change. (They will change, plan for it.)
| Video reference | What it means in this context |
|---|---|
| 8mm acrylic beads | Sample bead size |
| 1600 pcs | Sample bead quantity |
| 3-4 meters fishing line | Please see sample line length in video |
| 17 | Foundation width / first row reference |
| 17x6 | Body panel reference |
| 5 row | bottom / Side depth |
| 11 row | Main bag body |
| 7 row | Flap |
No, there is more. Get a Clasp, a Chain, and some pliers for the hardware on the end. Also, by the Line. This is ZoeDIY personal choice and not printed on the video: we use a 0.6mm fishing line. It's stiffer, and it doesn't make the bead hole feel a little empty and loose. Is it going to fit every single bead Hole out there? No. Don't assume that. Measure your own beads first!
Step 1: Make the First 17-Unit Foundation Row
The Foundation Row is the entire project in miniature. If you miss out a bead or add one, everything above it will drift. This isn't a straight string of 17 beads in a line. It's constructed as a row of small square units, each bead locked into the one below it so the Row stays together as a Grid rather than a floppy strand. Seventeen units across. That 17 determines the width of your whole Bag, so count it, then count it again!
Work your line so that each new bead links to the previous one so you get that boxed (gridded) Row rather than a saggy chain. When finished you should have a small, tight strip that already has a fabric-like quality to it (nothing like a bracelet, quasi stiff). If it flops about like a bracelet it's not gridded correctly. Go back now and correct it! You can't do it afterwards!
Step 2: Build the 17x6 Beaded Body Panel
You now build up off of that Foundation Row. Keep going back and forth, row after row, until your Panel measures 17x6, 17 wide, 6 rows tall. You'll want to secure each row into the one below so that they all stay together as a nice, flat, connected sheet of beads.
Maintain even Tensions. Yes, the most dull and boring bit, but also the most vital, this is what separates a nicely finished handmade bag from a rough, homemade looking one! (Huge difference). Too loose and your Panel will gape and sag, too tight and it will curl and refuse to sit flat. Somewhere in the middle. You will get a feel for it, I promise, after a row or two. The Panel should sit flat on the table, with no cupping or warping.
Step 3: Add New Fishing Line and Hide the Ends
At some point here you will run out of Line. 3-4 meters seems like a lot until it's not. Stay calm and whatever you do don't tie a huge fat knot on the outside where all your friends can see it!
Adding a new Line, you thread the new end back through the beads you've already strung; follow the same path the old line used so that the join camouflages itself inside the bead channel. The same with the tail you're finishing, run it back through a handful of beads then snip off close. The bead path hides all. That's the trick.
This is one worth repeating, especially since it bites people, if you are using transparent or clear Acrylic Beads: The Line is visible. It is visible in every end, every place where the thread crosses inside the bead, every bit of it. So whether or not to hide your ends is not merely a matter of tidiness, it's the difference between amazing and WTF. Hide your ends deep, at least a few beads, and cut flush.
Step 4: Shape the 5-Row Bottom and Side Depth
So far you have had a flat sheet. A Bag is not flat. This is the point where you turn it into a three dimensional object, and honestly? It's the step that makes you feel magic the first time you do it!
You can also add dimension, building the 5 rows required to make the bottom and sides, folding the Panel and sewing the edges together, so it's no longer a placemat but is becoming a box. Those 5 rows give the bag a bottom to sit on and sides that rise up. Sew the edges together bead-to-bead, same gridding logic as above, but this time pull the flat panel in around into a box shape with room inside.
Take your time through the corners. The corners are where the join will want to gap. Keep your Tension honest and the depth consistent on both sides or the bag will end up lopsided, one side taller than the other and there is no fixing that without unpicking. (Ask me how I know, again.)
Step 5: Build the 11-Row Main Bag Body
Using the Bottom and Sides as a foundation, continue to construct the main body of the Bag, 11 rows. This is the height of the Bag. Use the same connected grid pattern as in Step 3, row upon row, round upon round, maintaining the form that you created in Step 4.
Eleven Rows, is where you first really start to notice the weight. Those beads really start add up in a hurry, and if you used heavier beads this is where the bag will want to pull and sag under its own weight. Again, even Tension is more critical the taller you go. Double check that the body is still staying square-ish and not drifting into a lean!
Step 6: Add the 7-Row Flap
The Flap seven rows originating from the back top edge of the body, folding forward over the opening. Too short, it won't fold over enough to land on the Clasp. Too long and it will fold down past it, looking wrong. The sample flap is seven rows long, so that it would land on the clasp.
Build it flat same width as body Panel, anchor it to the back edge. Flat it same width as opening, so it will fold down flat and lay over the mouth of the Bag. No variation in width. Pay attention to the positioning, a Flap constructed even one unit out of alignment will always be skewed. Make sure it is positioned to match the clasp placement!
Step 7: Attach the Clasp and Chain
Hardware goes on last, once the bag body and Flap are finished. It's important to do it in the right order. Start with the Clasp: place it so that when the Flap is folded down, it will sit over the Clasp (half on the Flap, half on the body front), with the halves correctly aligned. Test the Clasp a few times to make sure it works right.
Next the Chain. Use your pliers to attach it to the two upper side dots of the bag. Be sure to attach it at the stress points; that is where the entire weight of the bag will be suspended from your shoulder, so tie it into a solid section of the beadwork, and not a singular edge bead that'll pull off. Distribute the weight a little.
And that's the Bag! Clasp snaps shut, chain sits nicely, flap smooth flat. Got there in the end!
What This Bag Can Hold, and What Not to Promise
Keep it real, because this is the biggest let down point. An acrylic beaded handbag like this is a sassy accessory, a lightweight, delicate addition. It is gorgeous, it is handmade, it will wow, but it will not carry the weight of your world.
What it's good for: a little bit of decoration, a phone, a small number of lightweight items of makeup, and a few other small, light things. That's the truth. What it isn't: heavy-duty. It does not have a specified weight capacity. Do not take it shopping, and then complain when it's line and beads can't take the strain. It is not a work bag. Acrylic beads and fishing line make a pretty structure, not load-bearing components. Be gentle and it will last.
Troubleshooting: Soft Shape, Tight Holes, Heavy Beads, and Visible Line Ends
This is the part I wish someone told me at the start (would have saved me an entire afternoon!). Here's what actually goes wrong.
The bag is soft or goes limp. Top gripe. Usually it's two things: Tension that has come loose somewhere, or Line that is simply too soft and floppy for the job. Limp bag can usually be traced to limp line. That's the very reason we prefer a slightly firmer 0.6mm, it supports the shape rather than collapses it. Also, make sure you haven't missed out the gridding, loose strands don't maintain a shape, boxed sections do.
Number 2, the holes are so tight it is hard to get them through more than once. Keep in mind you'll be running the line through the same beads three times or more at the joins. If the hole is tight even once, it will be a pain to get it through for the third time and you will be more likely to crack a bead or fray a line. Choose beads that have just enough of a hole to make it through without a problem when you are planning for multiple passes (a sm hole=problem). It's something to check for to prevent frustration later; it can't be fixed easily once you start.
#3 The beads are heavier pulling the bag down. The bigger or denser the beads, the heavier the bag becomes - increasing the sag during those 11 Body Rows. The lighter Acrylic Beads work great for this. If you decided on 10mm (the Lg. option) remember, it's more size as well as weight, not a free upgrade!
There is the line inside the beads. The clear-bead dilemma, again. Nothing to "repair" chemically; it is simply an observation of thread in the bead line. You can work around this by hiding every line end deep in the bead path and snip close and by being orderly with your crossovers. Clear beads are all about how tidy your thread lines are.
FAQ
Can I substitute 8mm acrylic beads with 10mm?
You can use 8mm or 10mm at ZoeDIY. Just remember 10mm isn't exactly the same, it alters the finish size, the weight, the bead counts needed, the stitch spacing. Your counts from this sample won't match exactly.
Which line should I be using for an acrylic beaded bag?
Video depicts about 3-4 meters of line. For firmness we prefer 0.6mm as it remains firm, doesn't leave the hole gaping. However don't assume that 0.6mm is suitable for every bead. Check your beads.
Can a beaded phone bag be able to hold a cell phone?
A phone, yes. And a few light bits and pieces. Stick to light! This isn't a sustainable tote for heavy duty use, that's not what it was made for.
How come my beaded purse feels too soft or collapses?
Normally it's either loose tension or a too soft line. Firmer line (that 0.6mm) and constant, uniform tension across the gridded rows is what makes it stand tall.
Written and reviewed by ZOE, Business Owner at ZoeDIY.
