Regardless of age and gender, we all once liked (and still like) homemade bracelets made of threads, beads, leather and even shells. Over the years, the fashion for “handmade” jewelry has not gone away, and now, with the spread of boho style, you can even make a beautiful bracelet with your own hands and wear it without embarrassment. See for yourself - even Milla Jovovich and Scarlett Johansson wear beaded pendants, and Johnny Depp loves leather jewelry.
Thanks to DIY bloggers, ideas for cool DIY bracelets can be found on any social network, be it Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube. There you will find carefully filmed and detailed instructions, diagrams and methods of weaving bracelets for every taste.
In order to create a wrist bracelet from scrap materials, you don’t need to be a pro in the art of beading or macrame - just have a little patience and free time. Even the most unusual method can be easily mastered in one day and you can safely create your own stylish handmade bracelets.
Weaving beaded bracelets
The beading technique is mistakenly considered too difficult for beginners. In fact, you don’t need to be a master - you can find simplified patterns for weaving bead bracelets for beginners, or go to a detailed master class once and feel free to try yourself in a new art.
Weaving a simple bracelet from large beads, beads and stones is not only an opportunity to escape from unpleasant thoughts and focus on calm, monotonous, almost meditative work, but also an excellent way to create unique gifts for loved ones. Agree, there is nothing more pleasant than a gift with a soul, created with your own hands.
So, let's talk about making bead bracelets with your own hands. What will you need for work?
- The base is a fishing line, wire or strong thread on which you will string the beads;
- Beads - for starters, you can take all the beads of the same color, just to master the technique;
- Needle - to pass thread or fishing line through the bead;
- Hook-and-loop clasps to secure the ends of the bracelet;
- Scissors and glue.
Advice on material selection
: When purchasing, pay attention to the quality of the beads. The cheapest Chinese beads can be sold in hundreds of different colors and sizes, but, most likely, the paint on the beads will wear off very quickly, and the beads themselves will already be cracked or chipped. It is best to purchase more expensive, but guaranteed high-quality and textured Czech beads.
Weaving technique for beginners
In order to create an original bracelet-bracelet made of beads on a fishing line, you need to master the simplest weaving technique, which is called the “monastic cross”. Once you master this weave, you can play with colors and patterns and create unique things.
You start by putting four beads on a fishing line, closing them in a ring and once again passing the fishing line through the second, third and fourth beads. Then three beads are again strung on the fishing line and another ring is created. You can continue weaving in this way and make a thin, elegant bracelet, or you can expand the decoration a little by adding rows on both sides. More detailed instructions can be seen in the video.
Bracelets on the machine
In addition to the hand weaving technique, you can also weave a wide bracelet from beads on a machine. You can purchase the machine online or make it yourself from an unnecessary box - for example, a shoe box. After the threads for the base of the bracelet are tensioned, you can begin weaving. A working thread (the one on which the beads are strung) with beads strung on it is tied to the outer warp thread. The working thread is passed under the warp threads and then pressed against them so that the warp threads pass between the beads. The working thread is again threaded through the beads, but already above the main threads and tightened.
This way you can easily weave a bracelet of any width and with any pattern, even without knowing the cross weaving technique. The ends of the bracelet are braided into braids, which will serve as ties for decoration. If desired, you can attach a special hook-clasp to the ends to make the product look more elegant.
Required measurements
First, you should measure your hand, namely at the wrist.
To the result obtained, it is worth adding a couple of centimeters on each side.
Next, you need to draw a corresponding pattern on a piece of leather. Here you can give free rein to your imagination and approach the stage with a greater degree of creativity and your own taste.
After the pattern is ready, the skin must be cut out. To do this you will need a sharp pocket knife or blade. It is important to take special care at this stage of work. If the skin is quite soft, then it is possible to cut it with ordinary scissors.
DIY leather bracelet
A woven leather bracelet is a universal piece of jewelry that is suitable for both men and women of all ages. This type of jewelry looks best when paired with similar ones - weave several bracelets at once and wear them as a bunch. And so that they don’t look boring or untidy, beads, spikes, stones, lace or scraps of colored fabric can be glued or sewn on top of the leather.
Okami leather bracelet (look in the SUNLIGHT catalogue)
In order to create both women's and men's leather bracelets with your own hands, you do not need special skills. All you need is leather, scissors, bracelet clasps, an awl and additional accessories depending on the type of bracelet. Let's talk about two leather bracelets that you can easily recreate at home.
Bracelet with adjustable girth
The pattern for such a decoration can be any bracelet from an all-inclusive hotel - an ordinary plastic ribbon with several holes for fasteners and a wide, decorative part.
Make a leather pattern for the main part of the bracelet and a small piece for the button clasp. Install the clasp and attach the small part to the main one using special leather snaps. On the main part, make several holes to adjust the girth. Ready! Any decoration can be glued or sewn onto the wide part.
Bracelet made of cords
Boho-chic lovers can weave an interesting bracelet from leather cords. The easiest way for such decoration is to use a double flat knot pattern.
For this technique you will need two leather cords and a crossbar to secure the cords to while weaving. Once you have mastered the double flat knot, you can experiment with other techniques - there are dozens of them.
Rules for working with material
Since your jewelry will be made of fur, it won’t hurt to learn about the rules for working with this material. They refer exclusively to natural fur:
- Natural fur is cut from the reverse side. A sharp knife is used for this. If you cut the fur with scissors, the hair will certainly fall off, and when sewing the seam will have unsightly bald patches.
- The cutting is carried out on a plastic board or piece of plexiglass. A wooden board is not suitable for this purpose, because the knife will stick into the board.
- Threads are selected taking into account the thickness of the core and its color. In this case, the tonality of the hairline does not play any role.
- The fur is sewn together using a hand furrier's stitch, which is called a “double puncture.” In this case, you need to fold the cut with the hair inward and insert the needle from the reverse side.
- If a fur item is wet, you cannot dry it near heating appliances. Due to such drying, the flesh loses its elasticity, becomes rough and can easily tear.
Using these simple rules, you can easily make a neat and durable fur bracelet. In the diagram you can see the technology of sewing fur with a furrier's stitch.
How to make a bracelet from lace or ribbons
Macrame is the art of weaving things from thin twisted threads, ropes, ribbons and cords. Using macrame you can weave not only a bracelet, but also a napkin, bedspread, bag and even a jacket.
Paracord bracelets
Rope bracelets made using the macrame technique are a great adult alternative to teenage baubles. Such jewelry is not only beautiful, but also functional - you will always have a couple of meters of fairly strong rope with you, like Tom Hardy. Some options for weaving paracord bracelets include inserts in the form of beads or stones, which makes the decoration more feminine and bright. You can weave a bracelet using the already familiar double flat knot technique or any other technique that you like.
Ribbon decorations
A much more feminine and delicate decoration option is products made from satin ribbons. Weaving bracelets from satin ribbons with your own hands is quite simple; the main thing here is to find high-quality material, ribbons that will not unravel and fluff. These bracelets can be flat, round, or even square – whatever suits your taste. They can be hung on a bag or a bunch of keys, or worn on your hand or as a choker - thanks to the softness of the material, such decoration will not leave scratches or chafe.
Lace bracelets
A bracelet made of suede laces is an elegant solution. This decoration does not catch the eye, looks appropriate and stylish at the same time.
Suede is an excellent option for weaving due to its smoothness and elasticity. In addition, the simplest suede bracelet can be created with just 4 laces.
More experienced craftsmen will enjoy weaving bracelets from waxed cord. Such bracelets can be either an ordinary bunch of several cords with decorations strung on them, or a full-fledged product using the macrame technique.
Making holes
Using a hole punch, you now need to make four or five evenly spaced holes on the workpiece. Again, this is a matter of taste. You can make many more holes.
They are necessary for the laces, which will subsequently hold the product on the hand. If you want to make the bracelet more fancy, you can insert small metal rings into the holes, which are sold in any craft department.
You can also use snap straps instead of laces.
Weaving a Shambhala bracelet step by step
Bracelet made of steel with onyx (look in the SUNLIGHT catalog)
A separate category of bracelets made of cords is the Shambhala bracelet. In the article at the link, we talked in detail about the history of this jewelry and several simple step-by-step patterns by which you can weave a Shamballa bracelet from threads or cords. After watching any master class on weaving a shamballa bracelet with your own hands, you will learn how to weave these bracelets with a whole philosophy contained in the weaving process.
DIY boho bracelets
The main feature of the boho style is the presence of many different decorations with pendants and natural elements (shells, feathers, flowers, etc.). This style is loved for its uniqueness, originality and freedom, which will never go out of fashion.
If you want to create a bracelet with a boho style pendant, we advise you to first think about the material - it should be something natural, for example, leather, suede, hemp or satin, but not beads or plastic. The pendant can be a stone, a shell or even a walnut shell - it all depends on the flight of your imagination.
Creating a bracelet in the boho style is not at all difficult - for example, we will tell you how to make a summer bracelet from shells, which fully corresponds to this style, which is close to nature. So, you will need:
- Fishing line or thin cord for the base;
- Shells with small holes made in them for fastening;
- Beads, stones and any other decorations;
- Clasp for bracelet.
Tie the fishing line into a knot so that the decorations do not slip off at the end. Then alternately string shells, beads, pieces of lace or fabric onto the fishing line, then shells again - alternate the elements as you like. At the end, tie the fishing line into another knot. You can make several rows of these and then fasten them together into one large bracelet.
Models with leather
If you love the boho style, you will probably want to buy bracelets made of stones and leather.
But even fashionistas who prefer formal business suits will find suitable items, as the masters embarked on experiments.
This season there will be no shortage of offers:
- The Sundance collection includes an original solution where turquoise beads are framed with airy weaving. Having purchased a women's leather bracelet, its owner will be satisfied, even though she will shell out $30.
- Designers from the Chan Luu brand also offered new items, playing on the contrasts of thick brown leather and transparent peridot. Pops of color will brighten up any ensemble, and you can buy bracelets made from natural stones for $150.
- If you are looking for simplicity, you will like a simple leather cord with large kyanite on it. The solution offered by Sundance will cost $450, but the handmade bracelets made from natural stones are worth it! Since the item is designed in a “unisex” manner, it will suit both charming fashionistas and the stronger sex.
The concept of luxury takes on a new interpretation: individuality becomes the main criterion, so purchasing handmade bracelets is a matter of prestige!
