DIY Macrame Bracelet

I love this DIY! Hope you enjoy it! I think its pretty cool and lovely, its really creative.

You’ll need:

• 4 yards of 0.5mm chinese knotting cord
• a connector or charm
•  an embroidery needle
•  a pair of scissors
• flat nose pliers (optional)
• a lighter (optional)

Start by cutting the knotting cord into two 30 inch, two 20 inch and one 10 inch lengths.  Fold the 20 inch piece in half, pull the loop through the ring, fold it over the ring, and pull the rest of the cord through the loop. Repeat the step on the other side of the ring. These strands will be anchored and remain stationary.

Center the 30 inch cord under the two middle strands. Fold the right cord over the middle strands and under the left cord. Pull the left cord under the right and middle strands and through the loop on the right side.

Pull tightly and slide the knot up to the top.

Finish the 2nd half of the square knot by folding the left cord over the middle strands and under the right cord. Pull the right cord under the left and middle strands and through the loop on the left side.

Pull tightly and repeat the steps – left, right, left, right . . . Continue knotting until the desired length is reached. Keep in mind that the clasp will take up approximately half an inch.

To finish the knots, thread one of the cords onto a needle and sew up the center of 3-4 knots along the backside. Pliers will help pull the needle through the tight knots.

Repeat the same step on the other cord.

After sewing up both knotting cords, trim away any excess. Save the scraps and melt the tips with a lighter to seal it for extra hold. Repeat the same exact step on the second half of the bracelet.

To make a sliding closure, shape the bracelet into a circle and overlap the middle strands. Use scraps to temporarily tie the cords together at each end.

Take the 10 inch cord and center it under the strands. Start tying square knots exactly the same way the bracelet was executed.

Stop at about half an inch and sew the knotting cords into the backside of the closure. Remove the temporary ties.

The two sets of middle strands are now the adjustable ties of the bracelet. Adjust to fit the wrist and tie each end into knots. Trim away any excess.

Your adjustable knotted bracelets are finished!! xx

DIY Heart Friendship Bracelet

As the month of love approaches, we thought we’d combine friendship and hearts into one Valentine’s Day themed tutorial: a heart patterned friendship bracelet! Using some candy-colored embroidery floss and your familiarity with the chevron friendship bracelet, you’ll be able to whip up one of these tokens of love in a heartbeat.

You’ll need:

• 2 colors of embroidery floss
• scissors
• tape or clipboard

Creating a heart pattern involves just a simple modification to the chevron patterned friendship bracelet. Start by cutting 4 strands of each color, at about 24 inches each, for a total of 8 strands. Alternate the thread colors before tying them together in a knot. Remember to leave at least 3 inches of slack. Tape the knot to a flat working surface or clip onto a clipboard.

Separate the threads into 2 sets, 2 of each color on each side. Arrange the strands in an alternating, mirror-image pattern with the outside threads matching and so on moving inwards.

Start on the left side with the outermost strand (shown here in red) and make a forward knot by creating a 4-shape over the 2nd strand (shown here in blue), loop it under and back through the opening.

Pull up and to the right to tighten. Make the same knot twice everytime.

Continue knotting over each color, towards the right, until the outermost color has carried over to the middle. This is one half of the chevron pattern.

Pick up the outermost strand on the right side (show here in red) and make a backward knot, creating a reverse 4-shape over the 2nd to last strand (shown here in blue), loop it under and back through the opening. Pull up and to the left to tighten. Don’t forget to knot twice!

Continue knotting towards the left until the outermost strand reaches the middle. Tie a backwards knot with the two middle strands to connect the two halves. Don’t forget to always knot twice!

Continue onto a second row using the same method. Two normal, chevron rows are complete. Now, it’s time for a “special” row: take the 2nd outermost strand (shown here in blue) and make a backwards knot over the outermost strand (shown here in red). Knot twice.

Repeat on the other side: take the 2nd to last strand (shown here in blue) and make a forward knot over the outermost strand (showin here in red). Knot twice.

Complete the row by taking the 2nd outermost strand (shown here in red) and make forward knots over each strand until it reaches the middle.

Mirror the steps on the other side and connect the middle strands. The heart cleavage has been created and the third row is finished.

Now repeat this special row again for the 4th row, taking the 2nd outermost strand and reversing the knot over the outermost strand.

Mirror the step on the other side. This forms the outer edge of the heart. Now fill in the heart by finishing the row with 2nd outermost strand (shown here in blue) and making forward knots over each strand until it reaches the middle.

Mirror the steps on the other side and connect the middle strands. Now, it’s back to a normal row again to close the heart. Make forward knots with the outermost strands, moving inwards towards the middle. Connect the middle strands.

Knot another normal row and then 2 special rows to form another heart. Do you see the pattern? 2 normal, 2 special, 2 normal, 2 special . . . keep going until the bracelet is long enough to fit around the wrist.

Finish the bracelet with a big knot and trim the ends.

Voila! Heart patterned friendship bracelets done.

Look how amazing it looks!