The making of beads has been a tradition in many cultures since the beginning of time. Although used for adornment, beads can also have spiritual and cultural significance. Beads are still very important in Kenya and Tanzania today. Not only are they used for personal adornment and some tribal ceremonies, they are one of the exports from the region. The oldest beads were made of stones and shells, but as civilization advanced, so did the materials used for beading. Today, most of the beads are wood, glass or ceramic, but in recent years the rolled paper beads have also been added to their exports.

Here is a tutorial for making your own rolled paper beads. Because the beads are rolled on straws, they will have a large center hole making it easier for children to roll and string. If adults are making the beads, beads can be rolled around items as small as toothpicks.

Materials and Supplies Needed:

• Recycled Paper – Colorful catalogs, wrapping paper, newspaper, etc.
• Pattern
• Scissors
• Pencil and ruler u2013 optional
• Glue – we use glue sticks but any crafting glue will work
• Plastic drinking Straw for rolling bar or size recycled metal or plastic knitting needle size 8 (do not use bamboo needles)
• Old knitting needles or skewers for drying sealed beads – optional
• Finish/Sealer – optional but recommended – Modge Podge or a non-toxic sealer
• Waxed paper
• Thin twine
• Yarn needle

Directions for Making Rolled Paper Beads

Cut strips of paper into long triangles approximately 1″ wide by 8 1/2″ long. You can make copies of our pattern and lay these over your page and cut, mark your paper in the same manner as the pattern, or “eye ball” your cuts. If children are cutting their own strips of paper, we find it easiest to mark pages for them so they can easily cut along the lines.

When you have your strips cut, begin rolling one at a time on your rolling bar. Start at the wide end. You want to roll the strips tight so the beads are solid, but not so tight you can’t slide them off the bar.

When you get down to the last 2″, put glue on the inside end of the triangle. This is really easy to do with a glue stick.

Slide the bead off the rolling bar. If you rolled the bead too tight and can’t get it off, try twisting the bead as you remove it from the rolling bar. If you pull it straight off, sometimes the bead will unravel.

We often trim the sides of our beads to remove the flimsy ends.

Finishing the beads: If you decide to finish the beads, which we do recommend, simply coat the bead with your sealer of choice. The easiest way to do this is to slip several beads back on an old metal or plastic knitting needle that is slightly smaller than the bead hole. You can also use skewers.

Slide the beads off onto the rod onto a piece of waxed paper and allow to dry completely. Occasionally mix the beads with your fingertips to move them around the paper so they do not stick.

Your beads are now ready to string.

Bead Necklace Directions – Makes 3 strings of beads

Make approximately 76 beads.

Cut 3 36″ pieces of twine. String necklaces with 19, 22, and 26 beads.

Tie off ends. Make sure the necklaces can easily slide over your head. We recommend cutting the twine into 3 different lengths so the necklaces are layered when worn together.

Wear together or separately. Looks great worn with our clay bead necklaces!