Making a Beaded Dinosaur

Measure Your Cord

Measure and cut a length of cord that it is 72 inches long. You need a really long cord because you will be weaving it in and out of beads.

Attach Your Keychain (Optional)

To make a bead-buddy keychain, fold your cord in half. Then, thread the ends through the keychain ring. Pull the ends through the loop in the cord at the bottom. This will fasten the cord to the keyring. You do not have to do this step, but it does make it easier to keep your cords even while weaving. Also, you can tape the ring down so that your buddy doesn’t slide around while you are working.

Step 1

Now, you are ready to start your dinosaur. Choose which color you would like to use for the main body. Make sure you have plenty of these beads because they will make up most of your buddy. Slide two beads on one end of the cord Then, slide the other end of the cord through the beads, going in the other direction. This will make your cords cross through the beads. Pull both ends of the cord to slide your beads up to your key ring. If you did not use a keyring, pull your ends equally so that the beads end up in the middle of your cord.

Step 2

Next, add four beads. The second bead will be your dinosaur’s eye, so it should be a different color from the body. Again, thread both ends of your cord through the beads so that they cross. Pull the cord ends until the beads meet your first row at the top.

Step 3

Now, add four beads that are your main body color. Cross your cords through the beads and pull them up to meet the other beads. Thread the cord on the left back through the first two beads so that they are only attached to one cord. Pull the cords to tighten the beads and make sure they are meeting the ones above them.

Step 4 (Neck)

To create your dinosaur’s neck, thread two beads on one cord. Cross your cords through the beads and pull them up to meet the other beads. Repeat this step one more time so that your dinosaur has a long neck.

Step 5 (Start the Body)

Thread 3 more body beads on the left cord. (Decide now if you want to give your dinosaur spots or a pattern.) Slide those three beads up to the bottom of the neck. Then, thread three more beads on right cord. Slide them all the way up to the other three beads. Then, move on to the next step.

Step 6

For the next row of the body, attach 8 beads to one cord. Cross your cords through the beads and pull them up to meet the other beads.

Step 7

To finish your dinosaur’s body, add three layers of 9 beads each. Remember to cross your cords through the beads and pull them up to meet the other beads each time. Try to change up your bead pattern, if you are using one, to make your dinosaur more interesting.

Step 8

After you have made your third row of 9 beads, thread the left cord back through the second bead on that side. Do the same on the right side. Thread the right cord back through the second-to-last bead. You are now ready to make your dinosaur’s legs!

Step 9 (Legs)

Thread 6 beads on each cord. 4 beads should be the same color as your dinosaur’s body. The last two beads should be a different color for the bottom of the feet. On the right side, thread the cord back through the two middle beads. Then, loop the cord around and thread it through the top two beads. You should end up with three sets of 2 beads stacked on top of one another. Follow the same steps for the left side.

Step 10

Thread the left cord through the middle two beads of the bottom row of nine. Then, thread it through the top two beads of the right leg. Take both cord ends and thread them through the last bead of the bottom row. Both cord ends should be sticking out to the right of your dinosaur. Take one cord end and thread it through the cord loop between the third and fourth body rows. Then, turn your dinosaur so that the cords are facing.

Step 10 (Tail and Finish)

To finish your dinosaur, add a tail. Thread on four sets of 2 beads followed by two single beads. Remember to cross your cords through the beads and pull them up to meet the other beads each time. When you get to the last bead, tie a double knot and trim the cord ends.