Macrame friendship bracelets aren’t just a summer thing! After Labor Day, fall colors suddenly flood our closets. Rainbow friendship bracelets make for such summer fun, but neutral and fall colors are a little more versatile for layering as the temperatures start to drop. This diy macrame braided friendship bracelet only takes about 30 minutes to make and a lifetime to wear off. I love giving these as gifts to friends.
DIY Macrame Braided Friendship Bracelet Materials
1 arms-length black wax cotton cord .5mm
1 arms-length tan wax cotton cord .5mm
1 arms-length natural (cream) wax cotton cord .5mm
Jeweler’s glue or clear nail polish
DIY Macrame Braided Friendship Bracelet Instructions
First, cut 3 strands of cord about one arms-length wide. Wax cotton cord holds up pretty well to everyday wear and tear. I braided with black, tan, and cream colored cords.
Fold the black cord in half, and crease the end to mark the midway point of the bracelet. Unfold the cord. About 4 inches down from the crease, pinch one end of cord in each hand. Twist the cord really tightly, until it starts to buckle, and fold the twisted part in half. You should have about 2 inches of cutely twisted cord.
Take the other two cords, and fold them in half as well. Line them up at the base of the twisted black cord, and tie a knot. Pull the knot tight.
Separate the cords so the two light colored ones are on the outside and the dark colored ones are on the inside. You should have 6 cords total, but we’ll braid them as 4 cords by grouping the light colored cords together. The alternating width of the cords looks interesting when it’s finished.
It’s time to braid! Braiding with 4 cords is just like braiding with 3.
Bring the outermost cord on the left across to the center right side. Then bring the outermost cord on the right across to the center left side. Keep the braid flat, and try not to let the light colored cords twist over each other as you braid them in a single strand. The alternating colors look better this way.
Continue in this pattern until the bracelet is long enough to fit around your wrist.
Finish the end the same way you began the braid. Pinch the end of finished braid. You can even seal it with a clip. Take one of the black cords, and crease it in half about six inches down. Unfold the cord. Pinch either end 4 inches down. Twist the end opposite the braid until the cord begins to buckle. Fold the cord in half, and it should twist into a cute line.
Unclip the braid, gather all of the cords and tie a knot at the base of the braid. The twisted black cord should double back and come out the braided end.
Clip the stray cords off both ends of the bracelet, and seal with jeweler’s glue or clear nail polish.
DIY Macrame Braided Friendship Bracelet Clasp
Now, you’ll finish with the clasp. Tie a knot at the ends of the twisted black cord. Use a lighter strand of cord for the clasp – I used the clippings from the bracelet. Line the two twisted black cords up like you are going to wear the bracelet.
Cross the lighter cord over and under the black cords so the ends are sticking out from either side.
Make a small loop in the right side cord, and cross it under. Take the left cord under the end of the right cord (which is now on the left side) and send it through the loop you just made on the right side. Pull tight.
Next, do the same thing on the left side. Make a small loop in the left side cord, and cross it under. Take the right cord under the end of the left cord (which is now on the right side) and send it through the loop you just made on the left side. Pull tight.
Since a clasp is pretty small, we’ll finish it after just these two loops. Loosely make three more of these loops. Don’t pull the cord tight.
Turn the bracelet over, and send the ends of the cord through the back of the loops you just made. Now you can tighten the loops to seal the cord in place.
Carefully tighten each loop by pulling on the outside loop, working your way to the end.
Then pull the ends of the cords to tighten the clasp. Don’t pull too tight – the bracelet needs to be able to slide on and off. Clip the cord and seal with jeweler’s glue or clear nail polish.
That’s it! You should have a beautiful macrame friendship bracelet for fall with a sliding clasp!
Braided Friendship Bracelet Style
Not feeling up to making your own awesome macrame bracelet? Head over to Etsy or Pura Vida for some cute options. Here are a few of my favorites from around the web:
