The One with DIY Fun!

You might have seen fabric jewelry such as the jersey necklaces sold on Urban Outfitters. While they are slightly reminiscent of homeless chic, and vastly overpriced, a few crafty fabric bangles offer a handmade, homey charm for maybe $10 total of supplies. After emailing with Christina, I was encouraged to make a DIY tutorial to my fabric bangles. The following is my attempt to make super simple, unique fabric jewelry.

All You Need Is...

...love. And (from left) some undesirable plain bangles, cotton fabric of your choosing (I get mine from my mom's stash. I recommend buying a few fat quarters if you don't have an accommodating family member), scissors that can cut fabric, a ruler (not really necessary), paint brush or foam brush, craft tacky glue. (In case you aren't in JoAnn's Fabric Shop all the time like me, a fat quarter is roughly a quarter of a yard of fabric, pre-cut and folded. You don't need even a whole quarter, unless you want all your bracelets to match).

Step One

Cut a strip of fabric at about a one inch width. This strip is about 18 inches long, which is unnecessary. 14 inches should be more than enough length. I just eye ball the width and try to cut straight. I'm not a very precise crafter or artist. I'm also not patient. I never wait for paint to dry.

After That...

Apply tacky craft glue to the backside of fabric. I like to apply in a wavy line. Then, using the foam brush or paint brush, spread the glue over the fabric.

Then

Begin wrapping the fabric around the bracelet. If it is hard to get the beginning of the fabric to wrap, try wrapping the fabric directly on top of itself a few times, then begin wrapping the fabric continuously to the right. Make sure the glue doesn't dry out as you wrap! Reapply some fresh drops if necessary.

Just Keep Wrapping, Until...

When you're close to finishing, cut off any excess fabric. I didn't do this at first, and it made thicker bumps on the bracelet. It adds to its homey charm, but I prefer to make the fabric even. Dab a little extra glue on the underside of the end of the fabric and

Ta Daaaa!!!!!

Homespun, charming bracelet. A fabric bangle you can take pride in. There will probably be a slight ridge from the edge of the fabric. If you get any stray threads, just clip them. Don't pull them! This is my stack of completed fabric bangles. After the red example, I did a bunch more in the same fabric because its just so darn cute. I have 14. I thought that was all of my bangles, but I just found a few more, and there's no point in having three tarnished bangles when they could join a host of multicolored craftees. Start crafting!