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DIY T-Shirt Bracelet #1




Alright, this will be my first post that I've really worked to edit the pictures I'm using. I was also sure to photograph every step along the way so I could write the tutorial for this one. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this blogging thing!!

I've seen tons of these t-shirt bracelets around the web, and I wanted to try to do some of my own. I had this old t-shirt that I've been meaning to do something with, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity! The shirt was a white t-shirt that I had tie-dyed a few years back, then developed holes and was just un-wearable.

This is the braided version of the t-shirt bracelet I made. If you'd like to see the other version, you can do so here.


I had already started cutting it up by the time I took this picture, but you can see what I've done. First, I cut the bottom hem off. Then I used my rotary cutter and made strips that were about 1/2 - 1 inch wide across the bottom of the shirt. I cut these at the side so they would be a long strip instead of a circle. Then I stretched the strips out to make them curl more. Below is one of the strips all stretched out. They were about 4 ft long, which is about how long yours should be if you're going to try to make them how I did. If yours are shorter, you will have to connect your strips somehow.


The first sort I made was the braided one shown in the photo at the top of the page. I took two of the strips and matched up the ends, then folded them both in half.




Then I turned it around to get to the loopy bit. Now you'll need to have some way to hold the strips here and keep a small portion of the loop. I just grabbed a hair clip. Now you should have 4 strands hanging down, two on each side. Since my fabric strips were tie-dye, it didnt really matter how I had them arranged. You could do this using two different colors or something though, in which case you might want to have both of the same color on the same side. Or mix them up to give it a different look. Its up to you!


Now comes the fun part. First, cross the two strands that are on the right, over the strands that are on the left. Look them UNDER the left strands and then back OVER the right ones. The photos probably explain it better than I can do it in words.


Then pull it tight, and repeat for the other side, crossing the left strands over and around the right strands.


Keep doing this, alternating sides, until you have a chain long enough to go around your wrist. Keep in mind that it WILL stretch, sometimes a lot depending on the type of fabric you're using, so try wrapping it around your wrist every now and then to test it.


Now you're going to tie the ends together to close it off. Now this part can be kind of tricky, and I dont really have any right or wrong way to suggest doing this. I'm sure I did it totally differently for the couple I made. Just find some way to tie the loose ends you're left with to the loop at the other end.


I dont have a photo of this part, but then just cut off the extra length of the strands. I actually went even further as to hot glue the ends of the strands down to re-enforce the tie and ensure it wouldnt unravel. Depending on how well you tied them off, this step is optional.

And thats all there is to it! Enjoy your new bracelet! I love that they're soft and dont clank around like most bracelets.



I actually had lots of these strips from the shirt (and quite a lot of the shirt left-over!). With the excess strips, I tried out another version of the t-shirt bracelet as well. I'll post a tutorial for that one next time! If you use my tutorial, please link up to this post!

If you try this out, leave a comment to let me know how it goes. I'd love to see pictures of your creations! This bracelet has endless possibilities with different sorts of fabric, different color combinations, ect!

If you have any suggestions for what to do with the rest of the t-shirt fabric, please leave a comment!

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