7 Easy Friendship Bracelets You’ll Love To Make
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Last Updated on May 24, 2020 by Katherine
This week is a bracelet tutorial, and instead of my usual beaded bracelets, I thought I’d switch it up a notch by introducing friendship bracelets. I like friendship bracelets because they don’t require a lot of extra materials outside of the thread you’ll be using.
What You Will Need:
- Six-stranded embroidery or craft floss (Such as this 50 color set available at Amazon).
- A safety pin or tape (to secure your bracelet as you work.
- Beads or charms (Optional).
My favorite thing about friendship bracelets is you can get started with making them for under $20.
“Chinese Staircase” Pattern
I started with this pattern because it is the simplest of the bunch.
I would recommend starting with four strands, but you can go higher or lower depending on your preference. The number of strands will just determine the width of your finished bracelet.
Pick the color strand you wish to start with and begin with a forward knot. To complete a forward knot, complete the following steps:
- Cut as many lengths as you wish (in my case, I did 4) and secure one end with a knot.
- Take your working strand and bend it so that it lays on top of the other strands (make it look like a figure 4)
- Wrap the tail of your working strand around all the other strands and pull it out between your working strand and the looped strands.
- Holding the looped strands, gently pull the knot to the top.
- Repeat the process with the same working thread until you have a length of color you’re happy with (it takes about five knots to make ¼ of an inch).
- Pick the next color and repeat the process.
Depending on the length you want, you may repeat the pattern as necessary. I did about three pattern sets. With four colors, I had twelve “color blocks.” Secure the end with a knot.
Fishtail Braided Bracelet
If you can make a braid, you can make this bracelet. To begin, you will need 15 strands. I used five colors for three stands each. Fold your strands in half and tie a knot at the folded end (you’ll be making a loop).
Begin by splitting your strands into two sides, half of each color per side. Then you simply take one color and cross it over to the middle on both sides and repeat for all the colors. At first, your bracelet will look a bit rough, but as you go along, a pretty chevron pattern should emerge.
Once you’ve braided the length you require, simply knot the end. You can find the full tutorial and details at The Stripe.
“Weavey” Braided Pattern
This one is a little different, using five strands instead of fifteen. You will cut your stands and loop them in the middle like the above pattern, but this time you’ll be keeping the two strands of color together.
Place three colors on the left side, and two on the right. Begin with your first color on the far left, pull the two stands over the next strand and under the second strand on the side. You’ll now have two left colors and three right colors.
Next, pull the far right strand over the first strand and under the next strand. Continue working the strands in this manner until you have your bracelet in the length you wish and tie it off.
I found this pattern on Craft Jam, be sure to check out their other cool patterns as well!
Polka-dots
With this one, you simply make a bracelet in one color, using forward knots, like the one in the Chinese Ladder pattern, except you’ll be only knotting one strand at a time, and you’ll create two knots per string.
Once complete, you tie off the pattern and sew in your dots with another color of floss. You can read more about this BLDG/25.
Chevron Pattern
This bracelet pattern requires at least three strands to start. Begin by looping the strands in half, like with most of the bracelets already discussed. Separate the colors into sides, so for mine, I have two of each color, so I want one of each color on the left and right each.
Starting with your first color (in my case, the burgundy), use a forward knot by creating a figure four across the next color and looping under and through. Repeat this knot again with the same working thread and holding thread.
Repeat the process with the third strand so that your first color ends up in the middle.
On the right side, begin with a backward knot. Create a “P” shape by laying your working thread across the second strand and then loop under and between the first and second strands and pull firmly to the top. Repeat the knot and then repeat the two knots on the third strand so that your first color on the right winds up next to its twin on the left.
Finally, tie two knots with the twin color strands and then repeat the process with each color in the same pattern until you create a bracelet you’re happy with.
Diamond Pattern
The diamond pattern is based on the above design, if you can complete a chevron bracelet, this is the next step up. You can find this pattern and more on Purl Soho. You begin with a minimum of four colors and half them as usual and loop the top. Arrange your colors in a mirror pattern (ie: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1). You’ll be making a sort of reverse chevron in the beginning along with a few other deviations from the chevron. The knots though are the same, either a forward or backhand knot.
Heart Pattern
Another chevron based bracelet pattern, instead of diamonds, you’ll wind up with some hearts. You’ll want to use two colors with four strands of each for a total of eight working strands.
Similar to the diamond pattern above, you’ll be making a modified chevron style bracelet. I recommend you check out the full tutorial at Honestly WTF.
Final Thoughts
Friendship bracelets have changed from those plastic neon threaded ones that I recall making as a child, with craft floss, it’s easy to create a uniquely beautiful piece that adults and children alike would love to wear. You can find tons of different colors to suit you with embroidery floss, any stores that sell it, likely have pretty much anything under the sun for you to choose from. Or, you can do what I did, and buy a $20 kit with 100 or so colors and match colors until your heart is content!
Well, crafty friends, that is all for this week, I hope you enjoyed this blog post and if you did, please let me know in the comments down below, share it on social media or pin it to Pinterest!
Next week, I’m going to talk all about living room essentials and how you can create a great living room no matter what your budget is! Until then, stay crafty my friends!
