Arm Candy

By Laura Strutt

Simple to make and fun to wear, friendship bracelets are the perfect homemade accessory to try your hand at. They make great gifts for friends – if you can bear to give them away!Have a go at using washi tape, cord, safety pins, loom bands, beads and even zips to make bracelets and bangles to wear stacked together or one at a time.

With step-by-step instructions and photography, you will soon be fully prepared to knot, bend, twist, braid and tie your way into friendship-bracelet heaven!Word Count: 10,000

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Jul 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781910904237

Laura Strutt

Laura Strutt is a passionate designer and enjoys knitting and crochet, as well as dressmaking, quilting, and hand-lettering. She is a former Editor of Craft Business magazine, the leading trade publication. She launched Sew magazine, a monthly contemporary stitching title, in 2009 and continued as Editor until 2012, leaving to pursue freelance work. Laura is the author of Sewing for Babies and Children, Modern Weaving, 35 Knitted Baby Blankets, Modern Crocheted Shawls and Wraps, Modern Granny Square Crochet, and Arm and Finger Knitting, all published by CICO Books, and the Haynes Sewing Manual. Discover more of Laura’s designs, technique guides and crafty inspiration on her creative lifestyle blog, www.madepeachy.com

Book preview

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chevron friendship band

Charm motif bracelet

T-shirt yarn bracelet

Washi tape bangle

Urban knot bracelet

Crochet beaded bracelet

Beaded safety pin bracelet

Sailor knot bracelet

Multi-stranded braid bracelet

Wire word bracelet

Multi-strand beaded bracelet

Zipper bracelet

Spray paint bangle

Bead braid bracelet

Loom band bracelet

Materials

Resources

Index

Acknowledgements

INTRODUCTION

It’s so simple to arm yourself with some pretty beads and a few other craft supplies and start making beautiful bracelets for yourself, or as gifts for your friends. You could even hold an arm candy party for your chums, making your bracelets together. The materials you’ll be using aren’t particularly valuable, but the time spent and the gift of friendship they signify will be truly treasured.

You’ll find that the projects are easy and quick-to-make, even if you are trying out a new technique like the loom-band design. Suggestions for colour combinations are shown in the photographs, but you can get creative with your own colour choices if you prefer.

As well as designs that feature the usual jewellery materials and findings, there are projects made from common crafting items like embroidery thread, washi tape and spray paint. So if you have any of these materials in your cupboard left over from other projects you will be able to use them up. There are even no-cost projects that make use of recycled materials, like the T-shirt Yarn Bracelet.

So gather what you need and get crafting!

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CHEVRON FRIENDSHIP BAND

Woven friendship bands are so much fun to make. Before you know it you’ll have mastered this technique for making neat little woven knots and you’ll be whipping up a stack in all your favourite colour combinations!

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YOU WILL NEED

› EMBROIDERY THREAD, IN TWO COLOURS

› SCISSORS

› SAFETY PIN OR WASHI TAPE

CUSTOMISATION TIP

Create wider bands or add in more colours by simply increasing the number of strands of embroidery thread you use, keeping to an even number.

USE A SERIES OF SIMPLE LITTLE KNOTS TO CRAFT A COLOURFUL COLLECTION OF WOVEN BANGLES

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1 You will need four embroidery thread lengths in colour A and four lengths in colour B. Trim the lengths to around 80 cm long. Knot the lengths together 10 cm from the end.

2 Divide the short lengths above the knot into three sections: two with three strands and one with two strands, and braid from the knot to 2 cm from the end. Knot the threads together at the far end