DIY - 5 strand braided friendship bracelet!!!
this is a really fast embroidery floss friendship bracelet that you can probably finish in under 20 minutes. i like that even though it’s a quick project, it looks way fancier than a regular old braided bracelet!
you will need:
- 5 strands of embroidery floss cut to 3.5 feet long (i used 5 different colors- that’s up to you!)
- scissors
- a hard cover book and a binder clip (or just a clip board will do)
- nimble fingers
here’s the steps:
- cut your embroidery floss - all 5 strands should be the same length
- fold the strands in half and tie a knot about 4-5 inches from the fold (this way you have room for tying later)
- wrap the folded end of your strands around the top of a hard cover book and use the binder clip to secure the bundle ***make sure the binder clip (or clip board clip) rests right beneath the knot (you don’t want to see the knot) - this helps the strands lay flat as you braid.
- you’ll have two pieces of each color now - split them up so the colors match up and each double strand can act as one strand. (the steps for 4-6 are pictured above and larger if you follow this link)
- separate the strands - 3 on the left and 2 on the right
- braid the left 3 strands like a regular braid once - then move the right-most strand over to the right side and braid the right side like a regular braid once. now move the left most strand to the left side and braid that side again - GO BACK AND FOURTH DOING THIS UNTIL YOUR BRAID IS THE DESIRED LENGTH!
- knot off the bottom of the braid carefully and tightly
- remove the braid from the book and clip the folded end so it looks the same as the non-folded side - trim the ends so they’re even (but leave like 4 inches on each end for tying!
HINTS FOR SUCCESS -
- it’s important to hold the strands relatively taut as you braid and also to keep them flat.
- i found it helpful to work on the floor looking down at the braid that way i could press down on the braid to keep it flat as i braided it.
- the closer the knot is to the edge of the clip the better that end of the braid will look when it’s done!
- i practiced making 5 strand braids with pipe cleaners before attempting these bracelets- maybe you want to also?
- the trickiest part is keeping everything tight and flat the whole time! BUT YOU CAN DO IT!
p.s. - here’s a link to a larger version of the braiding steps image.
Desiree
