How to Make a Beaded Spider and Web
Bobble Sprig · The making collection
Beaded Spider & Web
Make an eight-legged spider and a five-ring beaded web, then connect them through two toe loops.
View the Spider & Web DIY Kit
Every bead and wire in this project comes in one kit. Browse the full range in our beaded plant DIY kits collection, or see what else you can bead while the kit is open.
Materials and tools
- 0.5 mm leg wire — four 8 in (≈20.3 cm) pieces
- Red seed beads — 112 used
- Large black round beads — 16 used
- Red faceted joint beads — 8 used
- Blue tube beads — 8 used
- Small black seed beads — 9 used (8 toes + 1 body)
- Large red abdomen bead — 1
- Blue head bead — 1
- Eye pin — 1, supplied in the kit
- 0.3 mm kit wire — four 80 cm backbone pieces, plus separate ring wires
- Clear beads — 57 for the center and spokes; ring and extra edge beads additional
- Bring your own: round-nose pliers, wire cutters, gripping pliers, ruler, tape or stickers, and a branch or other suitable support
These quantities describe the sample’s making recipe, not a shipping inventory or spare quantities. Each ring wire needs its estimated circumference plus 20–30 cm working allowance.
STEP 01 / 16
Prepare the leg wires
Cut four equal pieces of 0.5 mm craft wire, each 8 in (about 20.3 cm) long. Straighten them and set them aside. The midpoint of each wire attaches to the body, while its two ends become two legs. Four wires make eight legs.
STEP 02 / 16
Thread the body
Thread one small black seed bead, one large red abdomen bead, and one blue head bead onto the straight end of the supplied eye pin, in that order. The black seed bead sits beside the original eye. Curl a temporary loop beyond the blue bead with round-nose pliers. Then separate the red and blue beads slightly to expose the pin shaft for the leg wires.
STEP 03 / 16
Attach four leg wires
Find the midpoint of one leg wire. Loop it around the eye-pin shaft between the red and blue body beads. Cross the wire ends, then gently pull them outward until the loop tightens against the pin. Gripping pliers can help bring the leg root together. Repeat with the other three wires, attaching them individually. Arrange four free ends on each side.
STEP 04 / 16
Bead the first leg
From the body outward, thread: 9 red seed beads → 1 large black round bead → 1 red faceted joint bead → 1 large black round bead → 5 red seed beads → 1 blue tube bead → 1 small black seed bead. Slide the beads toward the body so the sections sit together. The red seed beads form two separate sections: nine near the body and five near the toe.
STEP 05 / 16
Curl the toes
Leave about 1.5 cm of wire beyond the last small black seed bead and cut off the excess. Grip the very tip with round-nose pliers and curl inward. Bend a little, release, regrip, and bend again, using a similar position on the jaws to keep the curl round. Bring the sharp tip in close while keeping a small hole open for threading. Complete the other seven legs with the same bead order and curled toe. Two toe loops will be used for the web connection.
STEP 06 / 16
Tighten the body
Bring all four leg roots together between the red and blue body beads. Turn the wires slightly as needed to arrange the roots compactly. Press the body beads inward against them. Cut off the temporary loop beyond the blue head bead while leaving enough pin to curl a new loop. Re-form that end with round-nose pliers to secure the body. Judge the pin allowance for this join; the earlier 1.5 cm measurement applies to the toes.
STEP 07 / 16
Shape the spider
Spread the eight legs into four on each side. Gently bend and turn them so the front, middle, and back legs open naturally. Shape the spider to suit your preferred pose. Check that the body beads and leg roots are secure.
STEP 08 / 16
Anchor the center bead
Cut four full backbone wires from the supplied 0.3 mm craft wire, each 80 cm long. Each wire extends in two directions from the center. Fold one wire to locate its midpoint, then unfold it. Thread on a larger clear bead and move it to the midpoint. Pass the same wire back through this bead and gently pull tight to hold it in place.
STEP 09 / 16
Build the first axis
Work outward from the center bead on one side. Add one bead, pass back through it, and tighten it in position before adding the next. Leave about 2 cm between neighboring bead positions; vary the mix of larger and smaller beads as you like. Place seven beads on this side, excluding the center bead. Repeat on the other side with seven more beads to complete the first axis.
STEP 10 / 16
Open eight spokes
Pass the other three 80 cm backbone wires through the same center bead, one at a time. Bring each wire’s midpoint to the center. Spread the eight ends into eight directions, then temporarily secure the ends to the table with tape or stickers. This keeps the framework open for beading and ring connections.
STEP 11 / 16
Complete the spokes
Continue adding and securing beads on the remaining spokes. Each of the eight spokes has seven bead positions from the center outward; count the center bead separately. Adjust the angles and positions to make the ring connections clear. This gives 1 + 8 × 7 = 57 center-and-backbone beads. Decorative beads between spokes and extra outer-edge beads are additional; this is not a kit inventory.
STEP 12 / 16
Connect the inner ring
Cut a fresh piece of kit wire to the estimated circumference of the innermost ring, plus 20–30 cm of working allowance. Pass it through the first bead outward from the center on one spoke. Bend the short tail beside the bead to hold the start. Use the longer end to work toward the neighboring spoke. Add optional decorative beads between spokes, securing each with a return pass, then thread through the same-level bead on the next spoke. Continue around all eight spokes, adjusting the tension so the ring opens naturally. At the starting bead, wrap and twist the two strands together beside the bead. Trim the excess, then tuck and press the sharp ends with gripping pliers.
STEP 13 / 16
Complete five rings
Continue from the center outward using the inner-ring method. Cut a separate wire for each ring: estimated circumference plus 20–30 cm. Make five rings. Number the beads on a spoke from the center outward, excluding the center bead: ring 1 uses bead 1; ring 2 uses bead 2; ring 3 uses bead 3; ring 4 skips bead 4 and uses bead 5; ring 5 skips bead 6 and uses bead 7. You may add one, two, or three decorative beads across wider outer gaps. Check each join and adjust the tension after every ring. Some repeated outer-ring construction is omitted in the original footage.
| Ring | Spoke bead position |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 — skip bead 4 |
| 5 | 7 — skip bead 6 |
STEP 14 / 16
Save tails, then finish
Choose the hanging layout and the spider’s position before trimming. Reserve enough wire at the hanging points, plus one uncut tail to connect the spider. Finish only the other outer ends. Add one or two extra beads if desired, fold the excess wire back so it lies alongside the original strand, and twist the strands together. Trim excess wire and tidy the sharp tip with pliers. This outer-edge finish does not need a return pass through a bead. Keep all reserved connection tails available.
STEP 15 / 16
Wrap onto a support
Bring the reserved hanging wires to your own branch or another suitable support. Wrap each wire directly around the support at the position you choose. Adjust the distance, angle, and tension between the web and the support. The sample has three support points, but the positions are flexible. If a wire is too short, overlap it with a new piece, twist the overlap firmly to extend it, and then wrap it around the support.
STEP 16 / 16
Join two toe loops
Use the uncut web tail reserved for the spider. Pass that same wire through the small curled toe loops of two legs, one after the other. Bring those two toes together. Fold the wire tail back beside the wire leading to the web and twist the strands together, securing both toes at one connection point. Adjust the spider’s direction and the curves of the other legs. Finally check the web tension, every wrap, and all tucked wire ends. The body-pin eye is not the attachment point.
