A Giriguiding craft: friendship bracelets
We’ve loved seeing all your crafty creations!
Friends of Girlguiding are bringing you this issue’s activity. We want to celebrate all your wonderful friendships and special memories made in Girlguiding!
Do you have a fabulous friend, perfect pal, marvelous mate, amazing ally or brilliant bestie, in your guiding life? Maybe your friendship is new and budding with every day that passes?
Or perhaps it's a lasting connection and unbreakable bond that continues to grow throughout the years. Maybe yours is a friendship where you see them often or one that spans across the country or globe. We know how special and important friendship is, which is why it should be celebrated! These friendship bracelets are the perfect homemade gift to show your Girlguiding friends that you care for them.
There are 2 different styles to choose from. And, in the short how-to videos and instructions below, we’ll give you all the handy tips and pointers you need to make your own fantastic friendship bracelets.
We’ve also provided you with a template ‘loom wheel’ for your basic friendship bracelets.
You will need
- A print-out of our basic bracelet loom wheel template
- Embroidery threads
- Beads – whatever colour you want
- Measuring tape or ruler
- Scissors
- Cerdboard
- Pencil
- Glue
- Optional: needle for threading on beads to make it easier
To make these section branded bracelets, we used Girlguiding craft threads you can buy from our shop here. We also used the below DMC threads for some of the sections:
- Rainbow blue - DMC 827, blue very light
- Brownie yellow - DMC 444, lemon dark
- Guide blue - DMC 3755, baby blue
- Ranger pink - DMC 819, baby pink light
- Ranger purple - DMC 154, grape very dark
Make a beginners friendship bracelet
Note: We’ve chosen to make a bracelet with 2 colours. So, cut 3 threads to length in one colour and 4 threads to length in another.
1. Print and cut out the ‘loom wheel’ template. Glue it onto a scrap piece of cardboard, this will make it sturdier. Carefully, cut along the outside circle. Then cut the 8 evenly spaced lines, just until you get to the end of each line. Use a pencil to punch a small hole in the middle dot. Your loom is now ready to use.
2. Choose your coloured thread and cut 7 different threads to length. The average child’s wrist needs 15 inches of thread (38cm), and the average adult’s wrist needs 20 inches of thread (50cm).
3. Once cut, collect your 7 threads together and double knot one end of all the strands.
4. Thread a bead through all 7 of your threads, so that it sits below your double knot. You may want to use a needle to make this easier.
5. Thread your strands through the hole in the middle of your loom. The knot and bead need to be on the reverse of your loom facing downward. Then take each colour thread and place into 7 slots in your loom.
6. There needs to be one empty space at all times during braiding. Make sure this is always at the bottom.
7. Count to your left, grab the third thread on the wheel and pull it out of its slot and into the empty slot. Then rotate the loom so the empty slot is at the bottom again.
8. Repeat this step and keep checking your bracelet’s progress at the back to make sure you’re keeping the same amount of tension throughout.
9. Once your bracelet is long enough to wrap around your wrist, gently remove each thread from its slot. Then pull the whole bracelet through the back of your loom.
10. Make a double knot to stop the braid from becoming unravelled.
11. Leave a gap big enough for your bead to go through (ours is approximately 1 cm). Then make another double knot of your threads. This will be how you close your bracelet on your wrist.
12. Cut any excess thread length.
Top tip
If you don’t have a printer, use the template as a guide to draw your own!
Top tip
Tape the loop onto a table in front of you, to stop it from moving.
Make a twisty friendship bracelet
Note: We’ve chosen to make a bracelet with 2 colours. You can make this bracelet with more colours, and this will make it thicker. Remember each different coloured thread will need to be 50 inches in length.
1. Choose your coloured thread. You will need to use a minimum of 2 separate threads each cut to 50 inches in length (127cm). These 2 separate threads can be different colours or the same colour.
2. Fold your 2 threads in half and make a loop at the folded end. Tie a knot about 1 cm from the top of the loop (or enough space for your bead to go through). You should now have 4 separate strands of thread.
3. Separate 1 thread to the left and the remaining 3 threads to your right. You’ll be using 1 thread to start making your twisty bracelet.
4. Place your 1 thread on the left-hand side, move it over the top of the remaining 3 threads, creating a shape in the number 4.
5. Loop the end of your 4 shape under and through the 3 threads. Pull the end up and to the right. Make sure you pull this tightly. Repeat this 12 times using this same 1 thread. Pulling up and to the right tightly each time to make sure you get the twist effect.
6. To change the colour of your thread. Separate 1 thread of your next colour to the left and the remaining 3 threads to your right. If you’re not changing colour, switch to another thread out of your 4 threads. This will make sure you have enough length to finish the bracelet.
7. Repeat steps 4 - 5: place your 1 thread on the left-hand side, over the top of the remaining 3 threads, creating a shape in the number 4. Loop the end of your 4 shape under and through the 3 threads. Pull the end up and to the right. Make sure you meet the same place where your last colour left off and pull up tightly.
8. Keep switching between your threads, so you don’t use up the same length of thread. Make sure you use all 4 threads equally.
9. Repeat these steps until your twisty friendship bracelet is long enough to wrap around your wrist.
10. Make a double knot to stop the bracelet from becoming unravelled.
11. Thread a bead through all 4 of your threads, so that it sits below your double knot. You may want to use a needle to make this easier. Then double knot again to secure your bead in place.
12. Cut any excess thread length.
Congratulations, you’re done! We’d love to see your crafty creations and find out who you’ll be giving a friendship bracelet to. You can show off your work by tagging us on social media @girlguiding.
Thanks to Friends of Girlguiding for bringing us this mindful make! As volunteers, you already give a lot to girls and Girlguiding. If you want to make sure Girlguiding can continue to be there for more girls, becoming a friend is also a great way to help.
As a thank you, we send friends of Girlguiding an enamel badge and regular email updates. These include exclusive stories about the impact of Girlguiding, and the difference your generosity makes to girls' lives and futures.
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