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There's an undeniable magic about our love for turtles and sea turtles. They glide through the water with such grace, symbolizing wisdom, longevity, resilience and a peaceful journey. So it's no surprise that bringing a little of that serene beauty into our daily lives is so appealing. This beaded turtle captures that spirit in a project made with pony beads and cord for turtle lovers, ocean lovers and anyone fascinated by marine life.
Attached to your keys, keyring, backpack, zipper pull or purse, your beaded turtle becomes a constant companion. It can be a reminder of the ocean's calm, a symbol of hope, or simply a nod to your own wanderlust and love for sea life. Make one as a handmade gift for a turtle lover, or use the pattern for summer camp and group crafts, beach and ocean themed activities, giveaways and fundraisers.
Looking for a different turtle? We have other beaded turtle keychain patterns too, including designs with different shapes and styles. Take a look at the other turtles and choose the one that looks most like the turtle, sea turtle, water turtle or tortoise you have in mind.
If you make this project please share your photos with us. With your permission we'll add it to the page and credit it to you.
The colors used in a pattern are always only one possibility. Choosing a different color combination can take the same design from playful to elegant, seasonal to everyday, or traditional to completely unexpected. Be bold and experiment.
You will need one connector such as a 
Lanyard hook,
or any type of 
Key Ring.
Cord:
You will need about
3 yards of cord for your turtle.
There are lots of different types of cords you can use. We prefer a cord that is 1mm to 2mm thick because it helps your turtle keychain keep it's shape better. Alternatively, you can use a thinner cord and weave a little wire or a pipe cleaner into your keychain turtle to help it keep it's shape that way. Either way works just fine but you can experiment with it to see which method you prefer.
One good choice is
Monofilament Cord
or
2mm metallic cording. Other great choices would be jute or hemp cord, leather necklace cord, rattail cord, shoelaces, ribbon, paracord, or a strong jewelry cord like tigertail.
For ours, we used a green jute cord.
Beads needed:
59 - Green Pony Beads (We used a marbled green for just the slightest color variances).
Other Things Needed:
GlueOptional: For a stiffer turtle you can include a little wire or a pipe cleaner with your cord to help keep it's shape
Beading Wire
OR
Pipe Cleaners
3. After finishing the pattern tie a double knot or surgeon's knot in the cords at the bottom and apply glue to secure.
(Optional, and probably not needed) 4. Weave your wire or pipe cleaner through one of the widest rows in the middle of your beaded turtle keychain to make it stiffer and hold it's shape.
(Seed beads or E beads can be used in place of pony beads to create smaller characters.)
The illustration below uses red and blue to show you how each cord side is threaded into the beads. Your cord, of course, will be all the same color.
