Recycled t-shirt bracelet

It’s been forever since I managed to post something. Life has been incredibly busy, including a long weekend trip to Berlin, my camera has died on me and I’ve generally been rather un-crafty. However, here’s a quick little project for ya.

Make a recycled t-shirt bracelet!

A lot of times, t-shirt refashion tutorials will tell you to cut off the hem and throw it out. Well, we’re gonna use it today. You’ll also need embroidery thread and scissors. That’s it!

1. Take a t-shirt of your choice (mine was plain black, but any color you like will do) and cut off the hem. You’ll want to cut just under the stitching, so you have no stitching left when you’re done. Cut off the side seams so you get two long, narrow strips of shirt. Cut down the middle of the strips lengthwise. (This will be where the hem was folded.) You should now have four even narrower strips of shirt.

2. Take three strips of shirt. (Make something fun out of the fourth.) Pull gently on the ends until the strips start to curl in on themselves. You now have t-shirt yarn. Take out your embroidery thread and cut it the same length as your yarn. Make a knot into end of your yarn strips and embroidery thread.

3. Braid your bracelet. I laid my embroidery thread on top of one of my yarn strips to use as an accent. You could also wrap it around of the yarn strips. Whatever you do, take care to ensure that the thread will be visible and doesn’t disappear into the yarn. Continue to braid until you got the desired length. (I just braided it all and got a bracelet that fits around my wrist twice.)

4. Make another knot at this end to secure your braiding. To close your bracelet, carefully wiggle apart the braiding at one end until you’ve got a hole big enough to push your knot through. Secure with a few stitches or some glue if needed. The shirt should have enough stretch so you can slip the bracelet over your hand. Voilá, you’re done. Wear your recycled bracelet with pride.

I made my bracelet during a soccer game. It’s a great craft to do while watching your favorite tv show. I’ve been wearing my bracelet every day since. Since the t-shirt yarn is so soft and slightly stretchy, it’s really comfortable to wear.