A Simple Cloth Bracelet Tutorial

Last Saturday, as Jeremy and our oldest son went fishing for dinner and the baby was napping, the girls and I found ourselves in the mood to create.  They wanted to make bracelets.  I thought it would be fun to crochet some.  They wanted to use material.  It sounded like a great idea.  Sometimes it's fun to follow their lead.

We pulled the box of cloth scraps out and each daughter chose her colors.  We decided to use buttons or beads to make the center of a "flower," using the fringy ends.  The girls were so pleased with the end results that I thought I'd share them with you.  They plan to make several more to give to their friends as Valentine's Day gifts.  This works for me!  Using extra buttons that come with clothes and scraps of cloth from old clothes or projects means they cost nothing, and they only take about five minutes each to make!

You Will Need (per bracelet):

• 3 different prints/colors of material (a square foot altogether will be more than enough)
• 1 button or 3 beads
• thread and a needle to fasten the button

To Assemble:

1. Measure the wrist of the person the bracelet is for (or eye it as best as you can).  Cut 3 strips of material to braid, a little longer than the wrist measurement, about 1.5 inches (or 3 fingers) thick.
2. Cut 2 strips to tie off each side of the braid, about 4 inches long and a half inch thick.
3. Tie the 3 strips you plan to braid together with one of the two 4-inch-long strips with a square knot.  Have a helper hold where you just tied the square knot, or use your knees to hold it while you braid.  Braid the three strips to the end, finishing it off with the second 4-inch-long strip tied in another square knot.
4. Using one end of each of the square-knotted 4-inch strips, tie them in a square knot, turning the braid into a bracelet.
5. Using a thread and needle, sew on the button or beads in the center of the fringy ends. (each step can be seen in the collage above).

I'm sharing this at Simple Lives Thursday.