I am still trying to find new ways of using up my fabric twine.
I love the way it looks, so I keep making it, but one can only display so much of it lol.
The other day my husband mentioned he was looking for some summer bracelets, but couldn't find any he liked that weren't costing an arm and a leg.
Fear not!, I said. For I have a plan!
I have been playing around with an idea for turning my fabric twine into bracelets, so his comment came handy to give me the kick I needed to turn my musings into reality.
And since crafting alone is boring, I figured I share with you and we can all have cute bracelets this summer.
So here goes.
What you need:
đ˘ Fabric twine
đ˘ Scissors
đ˘ Sewing needle
đ˘ Embroidery floss, or some crochet cotton
đ˘ One button
đ˘ Measuring tape (optional, you could measure by simply wrapping the twine around your wrist and adding a few cm/inches)
đ˘ A thimble (optional)
What you do:
1.) Measure your, or the recipients wrist and cut fabric twine about 15 cm (5 inches) longer than that measurement. Make sure you get a piece between joins. So both strips of fabric in the twine are continuous. I have not tried making this with a joined piece, so not sure if that would hold up. If you have a big button, you may need a longer piece of twine!
Cut your embroidery floss to about 40 cm (15 inches) longer than your fabric twine. The longer the better.
2.) Take your fabric twine and bend over one end to form a loop. Make sure the loop is just a bit bigger than your button.
3.) With your embroidery thread, make a loop opposing the twine loop, as shown in the photo. Leave a tail sticking up.
4.) Start wrapping the embroidery thread around the tail and the twine loop, making sure you leave the twine loop big enough to fit the button snuggly. Wrap downwards, towards the embroidery thread loop.
Once you have wrapped about half a cm (1/8th of an inch) or so, stick the end of your embroidery thread (that you have been wrapping) through the embroidery thread loop. You can thread your needle to do so, or just use your fingers. Depending on how small the embroidery thread loop is, a needle might be helpful.. Pull it all the way through. Start pulling on the embroidery thread tail you left sticking up. Pull until the end threaded through the loop gets pulled under the wraps you made.
5.) If you haven't already, thread your needle now and secure the embroidery thread with a few stitches through the fabric twine as in the photo below.
6.) Hold your fabric twine in your non dominant hand (left for me) with the loop pointing also in that direction (left again for me) make sure the embroidery thread is sticking out on top. Take your needle behind the fabric twine, wind the embroidery thread around the back of the needle and down in front of the fabric twine.
I hold the whole kit and kabudle with my thumb and forefinger, so it doesn't slide around and to make sure the stitches keep even distance.
Slowly pull the needle upwards. Make sure the thread is going in front of the fabric twine and the needle is going behind it.
If my description is confusing, here is a tutorial for the blanket stitch.
If you are right handed, like I am, you will work from left to right, otherwise work it from right to left. Here is a photo about 1/3rd through making the buttonhole stitch of my bracelet.
Work this blanket stitch until the bracelet reaches the length you need for your wrist. For me, that was 8.5 cm (3.5 inches roughly). Not counting the beginning wrap, or the buttonhole loop! I do not like tight bracelets.
7.) Once it fits around your wrist the way you like it, you fold the end back onto itself and wrap the embroidery thread around a few times. You do not leave a loop here in either twine or thread! Just fold and wrap.
8.) Again secure the embroidery thread with a few stitches through the fabric twine.
9.) Sew on the button and secure the embroidery thread end. Clip the ends of the fabric twine on both ends of the bracelet close to where you wrapped the thread. Clean up a few of the frizzies, if your twine has them and presto! Done.
All that's left is to make a bunch more, slap them on your husband's wrist alongside the dozen or so other bracelets you made him, stand back, and admire the rock and roll vibe.
You can even hang small charms off this bracelet. Simply sew them on, or att0ach a jump ring through the buttonhole stitch, or directly through the fabric.
I hope I made any sense. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask. If you make any using my tutorial, I would love to see them! đ
Happy crafting!â¤
Xo,
Bđ