How To Make a Friendship Bracelet

Friendship bracelets are easy to make and could look great on your wrist for all ages.

For traditional friendship bracelets, you tie a bracelet to your friend's wrist and they leave it there until it falls off of their wrist. There are many different kinds, including round ones, flat ones, and the cross knot friendship bracelet, but the candystripe friendship bracelet, shown here, is the one of the easiest to make.

Step 1  

Buy embroidery thread, sometimes called embroidery floss, at a craft or sewing store. Embroidery floss is thicker than normal sewing thread, and comes in many colors. You must have more than one color to create a striped effect. The more even colors you choose, the wider the bracelet will be.

Step 2  

Take the first color and wrap it around your wrist 2 times,or from your elbow to your finger tips(More accurate!). The length you now have is the correct length.

Step 3  

Cut a piece this length from each of the other colors.

Step 4  

Tie a knot at the top.

Step 5  

Take the far left string and make a forward knot.

Pull the first string through the "opening" in the four and then pull it up and tighten to make a knot. Repeat this step again on the same string.

Step 6  

Pull the first string over to the right and repeat the steps above, but using the next string in each case.

Step 7  

Work this way for all the strings to complete the first row of all the same color horizontally.

Step 8  

Start the next row using the string to the far left (green).

Step 9  

Repeat all the steps until you have the row finished.

Step 10  

Keep going until the bracelet is long enough to fit around your wrist comfortably. To make sure it fits well, try it on your wrist, there should be enough extra room that you can fit about 2 fingers in next to your wrist, since the bracelet can shrink in water and become too tight (although it will stretch back out when dry).

Step 11  

Tie the loose ends of your strings with a square knot, just like how you started the bracelet.

Step 12  

Tie the bracelet onto your wrist (or your friend's) at the right length with a knot, like the first part of tying a shoelace, but do it twice - this is a square knot. It helps if you can get someone to help you here, but it can be done alone.

Step 13  

Trim any loose ends. You can also add charms or beads to the ends for decoration, simply slip them on the floss and tie a knot beneath them.

Step 14  

Bracelets are excellent to show true friendship, so give your finished bracelet to a good friend!

Step 15  

And if you need a gift for your friend this is definitely a fantastic idea!

Tips

• There are many books you can borrow or buy on bracelet making if you're ted to learn more and want to make different styles.
• Once you get the basic knot worked out, you can create your own patterns and designs.
• Don't get frustrated, even if you make a small mistake. Just keep going, stay calm and it will come out fine.
• There are various ways to hold the bracelet in place while you're making it.
  
  • The most common method is to put a safety pin through the knotted end and then pin the bracelet to the leg of your pants (on your thigh) far enough away from you so that when you're pulling on the threads they're naturally taut. Then you can move the pin further away from you as you progress. This also works well on the arm of a sofa or easy chair (assuming the fabric won't show where you poked through with the pin).
  • You can tape down the end with the knot to a flat surface, to make it easier to make your bracelet, or you could even use a clipboard. Remeber to add more tape as you work so the bracelet doesn't get twisted.
  • You can also use a piece of cardboard (the best size is about 3"x5"). Cut one notch in the top of the cardboard and put the knotted end of the bracelet through that notch. Cut several notches in the bottom at a 45° angle so that you can move the embroidery thread over each time. This keeps the bracelet from twisting and makes it easier to set down and pick up without having to sort everything out again.
  • Some people leave a little extra thread at the beginning to tie around a toe. Toes can be convenient holders, as long as you are flexible enough to get near them.
• If your bracelet starts to twist,iron it flat.
• If you do two knots in a row of the same thread on each strand, the bracelet should not roll, but lie flat.
• If you make the knots backwards (i.e. a backwards "4" when you start the knot), the angle of the pattern will be opposite. You can use this to make a bracelet with an arrow shape or a zigzag pattern.
• To help the thread move smoothly while making the bracelet, and possibly avoid breakage if you are pulling it really taut, first coat the strands with wax. You can pull them across an old candle.
• Put tape at the top of the knot to keep it in place.
• If you are worried you will forget the order of colors, write them down.
• If you make a bunch you could sell them for some extra money.
• There are many ways to make Friendship Bracelets. Experiment and make the one that is easiest for you!
• If your work tends to twist up, especially with this design, use a paperclip to hold it straight. Move the paperclip as you work. It'll keep just the place you're working on smooth, but that should be enough.
• Most of all, HAVE FUN!!! Don't do the bracelets if you don't enjoy it. But DON'T get discouraged at first. Everyone needs practice.

Warnings

• Embroidery thread is very thin. Be careful that you do not tie knots in the wrong place. If you do, it's not the end of the world; you can always pick the knots apart with a pair of tweezers or a safety pin, but it's tedious and once in a while causes a thread to break. It is very hard to untie knots in embroidery thread.
• Sometimes the pattern starts to twist, this happens when there is a knot tied in a wrong place or there are too many knots in a piece of string/thread. When this happens, just re-trace your steps and fix the knots.
• Try not to get your fingers stuck in the knots. Or tangle the thread.
• If you make a traditional bracelet and leave it on your friend's wrist, don't do it too tightly. You could either cut off the circulation, or be unable to get it off, ever!
• If you're not allowed bracelets at school, don't do a traditional bracelet!

Things You'll Need

• Four or five different colors of embroidery thread makes a really skinny bracelet.8-10 strings works better. Try using two of each color.
• A piece of cardboard or safety pin
• Scissors to cut the string
• Tape - It'll hold the string down as you go and make it much easier to work on the string.
• A Pillow* If you pin it to a pillow, it holds down well, and it's a little more comfortable.
• Clipboards work really well too (instead of tape or a pillow and pins duct tape)