Skip to content
Home » How To Make Round Paper Beads

How To Make Round Paper Beads

  • by
how to make round paper beads

How to make round paper beads – my secrets revealed.

how to make round paper beads

How to make round paper beads – yes, I have addressed this paper beading mystery before – click here to see.

But I have returned to address it again because I know so many people have this issue.

We are all familiar with the traditional tapered paper beads that Victorian ladies made.

But for many people, that elusive rounder shape isn’t so easy.

The trick to getting that rounder shape is starting out with a very long paper bead strip.

And in my new YouTube video, I have made it very long and turned it into three parts.

In my previous 2020 post about how to make round paper beads, I made a round paper bead template in two parts.

This was to help you get the length needed without having to use a long piece of paper.

The length is needed because the taper needs to be very gradual to get a rounder shape into your paper bead.

Whatever base width you start with, the taper needs to be more gradual than regular beads.

And it needs to taper away gently to a slim point.

The taper on the bead strips to make regular paper beads like these does not have to be long and gentle, so you can use medium weight A4 or US Letter Size paper to make your strips.

So paper length and angle of taper is a problem for many crafters who have not figured out that equation.

It can be hard to find the right thickness of paper in the length needed to achieve this.

Because you need 200 gsm paper (well light card stock really) that is 35 inches long.

Getting the correct paper thickness is crucial to getting the same beads I have made here.

how to make round paper beads
Gorgeous golden beads inspired by our Indian Summer in the UK 2021

How to make round paper beads is all in the math.

And it’s a challenge to get the maths right!

By that I mean the relationship between the bead strip base width and the taper angle.

Yes, you can roll thinner paper strips in layers but that is too fiddly for me to cope with!

I’m too impatient😬; I like to make my beads with more substantial papers.

So I have worked out the base width versus the angle of taper and created another bead strip resource.

This time I have made it even longer and made it in three parts instead of two.

My new round paper bead template – free printable – see further down for link to it.

And using the three parts has created a more rounded shape than my previous two part template.

Most people won’t want the hassle of using 35 inch long paper, so, I have made it easy for you.

Instead of one long tapered strip, I have created a set of three strips for printing on one sheet.

I have made sure the tapered sections all match up.

So it’s the same as using a 35 inch strip but easier to handle.

For this project I used 200 gsm paper/card, I think that equates to around 80lb in the USA.

I say ‘paper/card’ because 200gsm isn’t quite paper and it’s not really card either.

The paper/card I used here was from Rymans in the UK. Just straight up 200gsm white card.

how to make round paper beads

But if you can’t get that where you are, any white card that is suitable for Inkjet printing should do.

I have got other brands in my Amazon.com store and also my Amazon.co.uk store.

But the real magic in the necklace I made from my beads is in the paint.

Oh my goodness how I love my new paint!

I am an Arteza acrylic paint fan but I also tried out Magicfly Iridescence paints and they are glorious!

I love Magicfly paint
The colors in the iridescence set are absolutely gorgeous

My beads started out as white from the card and I was surprised at how easily the paint covered them.

I did do two coats to be sure but one coat had really covered the white well.

There a couple of Magicfly Iridescence acrylic paint sets in my Amazon stores.

They can also be used for pouring, unlike the set I got in the UK, but the colors are the same.

Check out my Amazon storefronts below:

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

Amazon Affiliate Statement

And now for the free printable!

If you click this link, it will take you to Google Drive where this and all my free printables are stored.

There aren’t many terms and conditions on how you can use my free printables but please read them here.

And if you want to see what other free printables I have, click here to take a look.

And if you need a 3mm paper bead rolling tool…

how to make round paper beads

You can get this paper bead rolling tool with it’s comfy, ergonomic handle from my Etsy shop.

Or my Folksy shop if you are UK based.

If you have enjoyed How To Make Round Paper Beads…

…and would like to know about all my future free printables, please subscribe to this blog.

I would love to see you on Instagram as well.