Embroidery Floss Bracelets

Embroidery floss bracelets, also known as friendship bracelets, are a fun and inexpensive craft project for kids who are interested in making handmade jewelry. Of course, grownup crafters can enjoy making these great bracelets as well!

Friendship bracelets are a fun craft for kids to make.

This simple pattern for making embroidery floss bracelets uses a basic knot and results in a bracelet with a striped design. The project requires a bit of patience, but should be easy enough for a second or third grade child to complete with minimal supervision.

Supplies:

• Four colors of embroidery floss, approximately 25 inches in length
• Masking tape
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Tie a knot about two inches from the top of your floss strands. Tape the strands to your work surface. Separate them by color. Starting from left to right, the strands will now be referred to as string one, string two, string three, and string four.
2. Start with the first string, then loop it over and under the second string. Hold the second string straight and pull the knot until it is snug. Repeat to create a double knot.
3. Take the first string and make double knots along strings three and four.
4. String two should now be in the far left position. Beginning with string two, make double knots with string three, string four, and string one.
5. Repeat the process with strings three and four in the first postion.
6. Continue until the bracelet reaches the desired length.
7. Gather the strings and tie a knot to secure the end.
8. Tie the bracelet around your wrist to wear.

If you wish, you can use the same bracelet pattern to make a matching choker or necklace. Simply begin with longer strands of embroidery floss.

Choosing the colors for your bracelet is often the most exciting part of the project. Embroidery floss is widely available in craft stores such as Hobby Lobby, Joann Crafts, and Michaels Crafts. Wal-Mart and other discount retailers also carry a selection of floss colors as well.

In most cases, embroidery floss bracelets are made with several different colors. A monochromatic color scheme, using light and dark shades of the same color, is a simple choice for your first project. If you feel like branching out and expressing your creative side, however, here are a few other options to consider:

• Warm Color Scheme: Use yellows, reds, and oranges
• Cool Color Scheme: Use blues, greens, and violets
• Primary Color Scheme: Use the basic primary colors of red, blue, and yellow
• Secondary Color Scheme: Use the secondary colors of orange, green and violet
• Complementary Color Scheme: Use colors that complement each other on the color wheel, such as red and green or yellow and violet
• Analogous Color Scheme: Use any two or more colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel

You may also find interesting color scheme ideas for your bracelet designs by looking at the patterns in various fabrics or the papers used for card making and scrapbooking projects.

Once you've mastered the basic friendship bracelet, you may want to consider trying the following variations:

• Heather's Friendship Bracelets has instructions for adding letters and different geometric patterns to your bracelets by changing the order of the knots.
• Everything Alabama has instructions for making a friendship bracelet that uses a decorative button as the closure.
• Making Friends has instructions for a chunky friendship bracelet that is created with colored cord instead of embroidery floss.
• HGTV has instructions for knotted thread bracelets that use a macramé technique to add small beads to the design.
• Bead Arts discusses how to make a bracelet from embroidery floss using a finger weaving technique.
• Knitty has a beautiful crocheted bracelet made from embroidery floss and small colored beads.

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