I've been feeling a bit craftsy lately and figured, since holiday time is tough for those of us with smaller budgets, it might behoove me to find something creative yet inexpensive that I could make for Christmas/Hanukkah presents. Enter, this great little wrap bracelet! They are easily customizable, can be made in any color combination and length that you'd like, and work (in my opinion) equally well for both women and men.
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For one double-wrap bracelet, you will need:
- 3 feet of leather cord or leather thong (like this or this)
- 1 foot of ball chain (like this)
- 1 ball chain connector (like this)
- 4 feet of hemp cord, waxed linen cord, or embroidery floss (like this)
- A pair of scissors
Measurements can go up or down, depending on the size of the person's wrist.
All of these materials can be found at a local crafts or beading store. For the bracelet below, I got my materials at
Beads by the Bay, my boyfriend's mother's shop, in lovely Morro Bay, CA. Materials for two double-wrap bracelets (6 feet of leather cord, 2 feet of ball chain, 2 connectors, and all the hemp cord seen in the photo below), cost me $8.50. That means one double-wrap bracelet cost $4.25, but all subsequent bracelets will be even cheaper because I have a
bunch of hemp cord left over.
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Once you have your supplies...
Begin the bracelet by folding the leather cord in half, making a small loop at the top. Lay the end of the hemp cord down the length of the leather for about half an inch. Begin wrapping the hemp around both the leather and the piece that is laid flat:
Wrap about 5 times around, very close to the top of the loop, then place the ball chain on top of the wrapped cord. Leave about three ball chain links free at the end, and then wrap the hemp in the joint between the third and fourth balls:
Keep wrapping the hemp cord tightly around the leather, in between the joints of the ball chain. Be sure to keep the two sides of the leather cord even (i.e., not twisty or inside out) as you go. The best technique I found for doing this efficiently was to hold my right thumb over the "stitch" I just completed, and wrap with my left hand. Then, I moved my thumb to the next stitch, and continued (...slowly....) along the length of the bracelet. The bracelet will begin to turn as you go, ending up looking helix-y.
Continue wrapping while checking for fit around the wrist. Once you've got the desired length, cut the ball chain and the leather (but NOT the hemp cord just yet!) and attach a ball chain connector to the end. Tie a few knots at the end of the ball chain, making sure the hemp is secured, and then trim the dangling end of the hemp.
When you're done, you'll have a nice stacked bracelet like (half of) the one below! The bracelet shown is actually two double-wrapped bracelets, stacked together. I think when it comes to this style, the more the merrier. The bracelet can be easily removed by unclasping the connector. Here it is, modeled on the boyfriend:
You can choose multiple color combinations of ball chain, leather, and cord to create unique gifts for the people on your list (...yourself included...). If you want a bit more of a sparkly look, you can use linked
crystal chain instead of the slightly industrial-looking ball chain.
(Sorry for the fuzzy iphone photo)
Multiple colors, all stacked up! I think I'm keeping these for myself.... :)
Happy beading! And if you have any questions, just let me know in the comments!
