Wednesday, June 8th is Friendship Day: a time to celebrate and be thankful for friends and all the fun we get to have with them! What better way to do this than to make beautiful friendship bracelets to give to the ones we care about? Today we bring you not one, but two easy, straightforward tutorials for bracelets that you can use with your little ones. We recommend that these be used for children aged 4-6 (for the “Knot and Bead” bracelet) and 7-10 (for the “Spiral Staircase” bracelet”).
For this project, you will need:
- A binder
- A binder clip
- A pair of scissors
- Assorted beads (or buttons)
- Embroidery floss (we got ours at the dollar store!)
The Knot and Bead Bracelet for ages 4-6
Step 1: Measure out embroidery floss to be 1.5 times the length you need to wrap around the child’s wrist. Use as many strands as will fit through your desired bead. Fold the embroidery floss in half.
Step 2: Fasten your binder clip to the top of your binder.
Step 3: Thread the looped end of your folded embroidery floss through a loop of the binder clip.
Step 4: Pull the loop of embroidery floss down, then pull the loose ends through the loop. Pull it tight, and you should end up with a sort of knot that fastens the floss to the binder clip. Fold the binder clip down.
Step 5: Find the middle of the length of your embroidery floss. Tie a knot as depicted below. Then, do it again. Make sure the knots are together so they look like one, larger knot.
Step 6: Thread on your desired bead!
Step 7: Repeat the knot-tying from Step 5 below the bead.
Step 8: Detach the bracelet from the binder clip. Then, thread the loose ends through the loop and tie a knot to fasten the bracelet. Trim the loose ends and make sure that the bracelet can slip on and off of the child’s wrist comfortably.
Step 8: Admire your new piece of jewelry, or wrap it up to give to a friend!
The Staircase Bracelet for ages 7-10
Step 1: Measure 3 arm lengths of embroidery floss in various colours. The more strands you use, the thicker your bracelet will be.
Step 2: As in the first tutorial, fold your embroidery floss in half. But! This time tie a knot to close your loop before fastening it to the binder clip.
Step 3: Separate one strand of embroidery floss from the rest. This will be the strand you are working with for now.
Step 4: Take the strand and place it over the rest, creating a loop. Then, take the strand around, behind the rest of the embroidery floss.
Step 5: Pull the strand forward, through the loop, to create a knot. Pull the knot tight, but not too tight.
Step 6: Repeat the knot-tying steps until you have approximately 2cm of staircase. The winding action takes place all by itself! You may need to readjust as the strands wind.
Step 7: When you have finished the 2cms of staircase, place the strand you are working with back with the rest of them. Then, grab another strand in a different colour.
Step 8: Continue knotting as before.
Step 9: Maybe you want to add a bead! Easy! Just take the strand you are working with, add a bead to it, and continue knotting as normal.
Step 10: Once you have finished the length of your bracelet, remove it from the binder clip and knot it to fasten.
There you have it! Two, beautiful bracelets that make perfect gifts to show your friends how much you care about them.
Happy Friendship Day! Until next time,
– Today’s Family
