DIY Friendship Bracelets

This is Not Your Ordinary Friendship Bracelet! 

As the school year is coming to an end, I wanted to do something special for N's teachers to show my appreciation for taking care of her educationally and emotionally all year.  Her teachers made her first year at school amazing! I am very grateful that she has learned a lot and has made some great friendships. 

I asked N if there was something special she wanted to make for her teachers. She said she wanted to make bracelets. We went through all of my beads together and she chose the colors for each teacher. N wanted to give everyone a bracelet, but sadly I had to burst her bubble. I had to tell her we are only making three for her classroom teachers, otherwise we would be making bracelets for the whole school.  After I explained to her the situation, she was excited again to get started.  N also wanted to add charms and add their initials to each bracelet for personalization.

When I was a little girl, I spent hours making friendship bracelets.  I always challenged myself to create new patterns and to see how wide I could make it.  I went through a lot of embroidery floss, so when my mom found my embroidery floss box a couple of years ago, I was surprised to find a good amount left.  Since N developed a great bond with her teachers, I thought an adult version of a friendship bracelet would show them how much we love and appreciate them.

Supplies Needed:

• Beads of all sizes
• Embroidery floss
• Charms
• Scissors
• Waxed Linen thread
• Toggles
• Safety pins
• Scrapbook paper or cards
• Ribbon
• Hole Punch
• Sharpie (Colored)

  

Jewelry Measuring Plate, Embroidery Floss, and Beads of all Sizes

To get started, I placed the beads for the first bracelet on the jewelry measuring plate.  This gave me some sort of idea how the bracelet would look while being worn and how many beads I would want to use.  The average bracelet measurement is about seven inches, so three large beads would be enough for each bracelet. The embroidery floss would be the last to be added.

N Picking Out Embroidery Floss

Once N was satisfied about our bead choices, it was time to pick out embroidery floss to match the color scheme of each one.  We chose about four colors per each bracelet.  To get the embroidery floss ready to be cut  I measured an arms length twice for each color. Once the floss was cut into one long piece, I cut it in half.  This will give plenty of thread to work with for either side of the bracelet. Repeat until all colors are cut into two arm lengths.  

 

Getting Ready to Add Embroidery Floss

Now it is time to start putting the bracelet together.  Cut the waxed linen to about ten inches.  Add all of the beads to the middle of the waxed linen and set aside. Separate the colored floss into two equal groups.  Tie the floss onto the waxed linen with a double knot while trying to keep the beads in place. Once the embroidery floss is knotted, tie a not in the waxed linen making sure to keep all knots as close together as possible. The knot in the waxed linen will keep the embroidery floss in place, so that the bracelet won't fall apart.  You don't want all your hard work to go to waste.

Embroidery Floss Knotted to Wax Linen Thread

Normally, when I am ready to start knotting the embroidery floss, I safety pin the floss to my pant leg right below the knee.  This would allow me to knot on the go or just watch TV.  This time I decided to pin it to my pillow, so I would have more room to work. For these bracelets I decided to repeat a square knot because it uses a lot less floss. Any knot can be used.  Just use whatever is comfortable and unique to what you are making. Once you finish knotting the first side, flip the bracelet to the other side to continue knotting.

Safety Pinning Bracelet to Pillow

Knotting Sides

When I finished knotting the first bracelet, I set it aside. I pulled N over again to repeated the process of getting the beads together and preparing everything else for the next two bracelets. I decided It would be best to finish all three bracelets all at the same time.

N Choosing Floss Colors Again and Beads Are Ready for Second Bracelet

Second Bracelet Ready to Knot

Beads Ready for Third Bracelet

Embroidery Floss Ready to go on Third Bracelet

Once all of the knotting was in place, it was time to measure to make sure I had the right length.  I completed the knotting at six inches because the extra bead, charm, and toggle clasp would add the extra inch needed to make a seven inch bracelet. Tie the embroidery floss into a knot and add the bar end of the toggle onto the waxed linen.  Loop waxed linen through, wrap it around itself, and then knot it several times. This is to ensure the bracelet doesn't fall apart.

 

Somehow I only ended up with two photographs of the finished bracelets instead of three. Whooops! Total Bummer!

To finish the other side, tie a knot in the embroidery floss.  Add on the initial bead, charm, and circle part of a he toggle clasp.  Wrap the waxed linen around itself and tie a couple of knots once again to ensure that your bracelet doesn't fall apart.  Cut the waxed linen close to itself so that it's not sticking out. Then trim down the embroidery floss to create a tassel on either side.  Voila! The bracelets are complete.

Just Had to Try on For Size

I wanted N to help figure out what kind of card to make to present each bracelet to her teachers.  I let her pick the colored paper she wanted to use.  We discussed what she wanted to say and write on each card.  I wrote it down for her onto notebook paper.  She wrote each letter onto the card with a colored Sharpie marker of her choice.  When she was finished, I punched three small holes along the side with my hole punch.  I punched a hole in the top, middle, and bottom of the side of the card.  To secure the bracelet to the card, I cut three arms length of skinny ribbon.  I weaved the ribbon through the paper and the bracelet. Once it was secure I tied the ends on a knot and cut the excess off.  On the back of the card I wrote my own letter to each teacher to show my love and appreciation for all their hard work.  

Finished Bracelets and Cards Ready to Go

N gave her teachers their gifts right before the weekend. They absolutely loved them and truly enjoyed how she personalized each one! I was truly impressed by her ability to hand write each card. It is absolutely amazing to see my child grow in every way!