Materials and Supplies
While there are many different options to go about making friendship bracelets, the convenient part is that all you really need is some string and tape. Here we'll look at different types of materials and ways to secure your bracelet.
String
You can use several different mediums for making friendship bracelets.
Embroidery Floss: Embroidery floss is most often used for bracelets. There are countless brands, such as Anchor, DMC, or J&P Coats. This string is 6 stranded, 100% cotton, and usually has a luster. When knotted up, these knots look smooth. |
Craft Floss: This is an economical version of embroidery thread. It's 6 stranded and smooth, and it's almost always cheaper. Craft thread is usually bought in packages, and colors are more limited than embroidery thread. Craft thread is a lower quality, so it constantly breaks if pulled too hard. Craft thread has no shiny aspect to it and the texture is usually more visible.
|
Rayon: Rayon is a silky material that is most commonly made by DMC. Along with the normal colors, it also comes in fluorescent colors. Rayon is incredibly hard to keep tied, so it's not recommended for use in bracelets, especially when you do not use regular cotton thread to keep it together.
|
Pearle Cotton: Pearle cotton comes in several different sizes. It has a decent variety of colors. Like craft floss, it can be bought in economical packs, but also means that you can't get as wide a range. Pearle Cotton thread looks as though it's twisted throughout the string, so when braided, it looks almost textured.
|
Yarn: Yarn makes larger bracelets, so it's ideal to use if you want to make a pattern into a bag.Yarn is not as thin as any of the other materials. The knots will be large and the bracelet will be bulkier, but it works just as well as everything else.
|
Securing Your Bracelet
Friendship bracelets are made by tying different patterns of knots repeatedly. In order to do this neatly, the bracelets need to be secured. There are three common ways to secure your bracelet while you are making it.
Tape: Tape is a really easy way secure your friendship bracelet to a surface. Initially, it should be placed above the knot. After you have a little leeway on your bracelet, you should put a second piece below the knot. The problem with tape is that you will have to constantly replace it if you pull too hard.
|
Safety Pin: Safety pins are a great way to secure bracelets because you can pin them anywhere. In your room? Pin it to your pillow. On the school bus? Pin it to your backpack. In the car? Outside in the park? Practically anywhere else? Pin it to your pants or shoe. The proper way to do this to put the pin straight through the knot.
|
Clipboard: Clipboards are a great way to keep your bracelets. Unlike tape, it never needs to be replaced. Unlike safety pins, it doesn't get harder to continue as your bracelet gets longer. With a clipboard you can constantly move your bracelet up so that you are always getting short, tight pulls on your knots.
|
So go over the information on this page and decide what you think will work best for you. When you're ready, come back and we can move onto the different types of knots and how to get started.