Book Thongs - Big Big Forums

Jolie Rouge · 05-11-2009, 04:10 PM

BOOK THONGS

A book thong is basically a thin string or fiber bookmark. I really like them because they are pretty and last longer than a paper bookmark. Most readers seem to like them more than paper bookmarks but they are tricky because you don’t usually have the chance to put something on them that states your name or url. This means you need to give them out with something. I usually have them in individual bags in my stash of promo items and either staple the bag to a paper bookmark or put a sticker on the bag.

Ingredients

Stringing Material

I use 60 lb test clear fishing line because it’s both inexpensive and it doesn’t kink or tend to cut the pages of books. I have several nice book thongs made with bead stringing wire but it can get expensive and it kinks. I don’t recommend actually thread or yarn because it doesn’t wear well at all.

Decide on what length you want your book thong to be and cut a piece of material that length. If you are going to knot the beads in place, add about an inch to account for four knots of material. I like to make my book thongs 14-15 inches long ~ that’s long enough for trade paperbacks and hardbacks but not so long that it is unwieldy for mass market paperbacks.

If you start doing a lot of these, you can cut your material in advance. I have a Ziploc of pre-cut fishing line, just waiting for beads.

Beads

You don’t need expensive beads. Really. Especially if you make a lot of thongs. I haunt the various remainder stores and discount stores and will often buy glass bead kits with beads in one color family for very little money but these can produce a LOT of book thongs. You do want colorful beads and reasonable size ones because these are the pretty factor and the weights that make the book thongs easy to insert and remove.

I use bigger beads on one end and lighter ones on the other so there’s a big end (bottom) and a smaller end (top), but that’s not a rule nor required.

I also keep a couple of tubes of small seed beads (usually #8) that I use next to beads with big holes to make sure they don’t come off the book thong. Silver is a great choice if you are using silver crimp beads.

Crimp Beads

These are what I use to keep the beads on the string. If you are not someone who does beading, these are small metal beads that you feed onto your stringing material to keep the beads secured. I buy inexpensive base metal ones, usually in a silver color. They are easy to use and secure.

I have received some thongs that are tied but I don’t recommend it. The knots come undone or, if done on thread, they have a tendency to tighten so much they eventually pass through the beads. I think the little bit of extra expense for the crimp beads is worth it.

Tools

If you are going to use crimp beads, you need a small pair of needle nose or chain nose pliers. You will also need some method to cut your stringing material ~ scissors for string or fishing line, wire cutters if you are using beading wire.

Making the Thongs
Here’s my bead board as I start to make a thong:

The metal container is what I store my crimp beads in. The small silver beads at the lower left are inexpensive silver colored #8 seed beads. The pile of green beads is from a package of mixed beads I found for 49¢ on a clearance rack. You can almost see the 15 inches of fishing line. And, of course, it’s a pair of pliers. You don’t need ones this fancy.

Step 1: Attach a Crimp Bead

The first thing is to put a single crimp bead on the very end of the fishing line. This will allow you to put the beads on without anything sliding off.

Feed the crimp onto the fishing line.
Grasp the crimp bead in the pliers’ jaws and position it at the very end of the fishing line.
Squash the crimp flat onto the fishing line with the pliers.
Here’s the bead on the fishing line. Don’t worry if you don’t get it perfectly at the end. It’s better to have a little fishing line showing at the end than to have the crimp bead fall off later.

Step 2: Feed on Beads for One End

Now you need to feed on the beads for one end of the thong. I am used to always doing the larger end first but that’s just a habit. There’s no rule. I use enough beads for about an inch, maybe a tiny bit longer than an inch.

Make a pretty pattern you like but be sure that the bead that will be next to the crimp bead can’t go over the crimp bead. If you have any doubt (people do tug on the beads), put one of the small seed beads between the crimp and the rest of the beads.

Step 3: Crimp that End’s Beads into a Set

Put another crimp bead onto the fishing line, slide it all the way down to the beads you strung in Step 2 and crimp it to hold all the other beads in place. It’s a good idea to use your pliers to snug the crimp against the other beads so you eliminate extra spaces.

Here’s my larger end with the beads on and crimped.

You can see the flattened starting crimp on the far left, then a seed bead and the decorate beads, then another seed bead and the crimp put on in Step 3.

Step 4: String Another Crimp

Put another crimp onto the fishing line but DO NOT crimp it yet. This will become the interior crimp to hold the smaller end in place but won’t be crimped down until the last step.

Step 5: String Beads for the Other End

Now string the beads you want to have on the other end. I make this set slightly smaller in diameter and only string ½ to ¾ inches of beads.

You can see in this picture that I have an uncrimped crimp bead on the fishing line and then the beads for the second end. They aren’t secured so they’re down near the first end. Sorry for the bit of blur.

Step 6: Attach Another Crimp Bead

Now you should repeat Step 1 on this other end of the fishing line. This secures the second set of beads from coming off the fishing line.

Step 7: Slide Beads to End and Flatten Crimp

Now you need to slide the second set of beads you added to this far end of the thong and flatten the crimp bead to hold them in place. You can see that this is far easier to do now than it would have been if you were trying to do the end crimp bead last. Nothing falls off and it’s just a matter of using the pliers to snug the crimp bead down to the decorative beads and flattening it.

Here’s a picture of the finished smaller end.

Finished Product

Here’s a picture of the finished book thong.

http://jmsnyder.com/?p=529

Jolie Rouge · 05-11-2009, 04:16 PM

Now that nearly everyone on the Crochetville Wish List has received the book thongs I made (except one who is away for the holidays, but by now I think she knows there’s one waiting for her back home *wink*), I wanted to share photos of them. Also, many thanks go out to Deneen for graciously organizing the Wish List.

I first saw book thongs at Waldenbooks and then I noticed them at Books-A-Million, too. If you Google book thongs, you’ll find a lot of truly beautiful handmade ones. Intrigued and wanna make your very own book thong? Bead Studio has an excellent and simple tutorial.

I used hemp jewelry cord, glass beads, and silver-colored spacer beads.

BEADED BOOK THONG

This may be the fastest and easiest beaded gift on the planet! Use up those leftover beads and charms to create a beautiful gift. Not only are they great for the reader in your family, you can also hang one from your rear view mirror! Style & Versatility!

You Need

2 feet of Waxed Linen Cord
1 Charm
Assorted Beads – about a dozen with holes that just fit over the linen

Tools Required:
Clear Nail Polish
Scissors

Step 1 – Tie the charm onto one end of the cord, trim and set knot with clear nail polish.

Step 2 – Slide a grouping of beads onto the cord and tie a knot after the last bead. (Use an awl to get the knot close to beads if needed).

Step 3 - Determine the length of cord needed for the type of book (less for paperback more for hardcover) and tie a knot were the beads will start.

Step 4 – Add beads to the tail of the cord and tie a knot after the last bead.

Step 5 – Trim the excess cord and set knot with clear nail polish.

http://www.beadstudio.com/info.php?a=384

Anyone ever seen “Book Thongs” at your local bookstore? No? Well, you’re going to make your own on the cheap, unless you get on eBay and buy 18th century cloisonné beads, in which case I am not responsible.

Here’s what you need:

1) Some kind of string/thread/floss that will go through the beads of your choice and is substantial enough not to tangle. Waxed linen cord is the preferred stuff. Not only can you get it at most craft stores these days, you can also get it here.

2) Beads.

That’s it. Two things. You can revel in visual instructions at Bead Studio’s web site. The two feet of cord (about 61 cm) they specify is a little excessive, in my opinion, unless you’re reading books that are a foot and a half high. Also, they use a charm with a loop on the top. You may not have one of those - just a bunch of beads. So I’m going to give you my own instructions, with a special knot - no nail polish required. It’s the Double Back Knot. If that looks too scary, just tie your own knot. As with all of my projects, this isn’t rocket science - I have a liberal arts education.

For my beady bookmark, I decided to use one of my dragonfly wing beads. I bought two, thinking I’d make earrings. But what the heck - I’ll make this one for Mom, and she and I can have matching bookmarks. (Hi, Mom!) Can you see her waving out there in cyberspace? She’s telling me to get on with this project.

I measured my store-bought Book Thongs, and they’re 11.5 inches (about 30 cm). I’m going to allow an extra four or five inches of cord, for knot-tying ease. Let’s call it 16 inches (40.5 cm). In addition to my dragonfly, I’m going to want something nice for the other end. You need a little weight on both ends of the cord, so it lays nicely between the pages of your book.

Step one: Tie a knot in one end, to keep your beads from sliding off the cord and falling into your lap. Put up to an inch’s worth of beads on. I’m guessing you guys aren’t having too much trouble with this.

Step two: Put another knot on the other side of your bead segment, to keep your beads down at that end of the cord.

Step three: Get a book that’s the largest size of whatever you normally read, and stick the cord between some pages, letting your beaded end dangle out. I like about half an inch of cord showing before I get to the beads. Grab hold of the cord on the other end of the book, about half an inch away from the spine, take the cord out of the book, and put a knot there. If you have trouble keeping hold of your cord, then by all means measure, and hold a tape measure or a marked piece of paper up to the cord as you’re pulling your knot tight.

Step four: After your knot is in place, put another half inch of beady stuff on the other end, knot it off, trim any unsightly ends and stick in a book. Wait… Hold your applause till the end.

Okay, I’m done.

http://www.wetnoodleposse.com/archiv...004/stuff.html

Jolie Rouge · 05-11-2009, 04:23 PM

How to Make Bookmarks With Beads & String

It damages books to fold down the corner to mark your page, and paper bookmarks are so easy to lose. You can make a bookmark out of string and beads that is both attractive and less likely to be misplaced. Sometimes called book thongs, bead and string bookmarks are an easy project to do with children or a great gift for the book lover in your life.

Difficulty: Easy

Things You'll Need

Thick string, such as yarn
Beads
Large needle
Charms (optional)

Step One Gather your materials. You can use a single strand of yarn, embroidery floss or other thicker strings. You can braid or weave the strings together to make the bookmark more substantial if you wish. When deciding which beads or charms to use, make sure they have holes large enough for your chosen string and needle to pass through. You can use charms that capture the interests of the recipient or yourself to add more visual interest to the finished bookmark.

Step Two Cut a 14-inch length of string--three lengths if you'll be braiding it. For the braided bookmark, tie a knot 3 inches from the bottom and braid it to 3 inches from the top of the string. Then tie another knot to secure it. For a single string, you'll also tie a knot 3 inches from each end to keep your beads in place.

Step Three Thread one end of the string through the needle and then thread it through a bead. You can attach one bead or several, just leave room to knot the string when you're done so the beads don't slip off. On a braided bookmark, you can put beads on each of the three separate strings for a tassel effect. If you're using charms alone or in addition to the beads, tie them onto the end of the string to finish. If you're just using beads, tie a knot on the end of each string when you're finished. Repeat on both ends of the bookmark.

Overall Tips & Warnings

Use ribbon instead of string for your bookmark.

If you're giving a book as a gift, make a string bookmark with charms that highlight the book to include with it--such as a rocket ship charm for a space book.

Let the beads dangle on the outside of the book; if you close them inside the pages, the beads can damage them.

Use plastic needles for small children to avoid injury.

LaurenC · 05-14-2009, 08:56 AM

This is really nice and easy to make. Thanks for sharing the materials and instructions.