Braided T-shirt Bracelets

Today I made a few braided t-shirt bracelets.  I had a bunch of scraps leftover from the headband I made for Annabel, so I decided to use them up to make bracelets (and I added in a blue t-shirt too).  I have a tattoo on my left wrist, and I have to cover it up for work, so I'm always looking for new chunky fun bracelets.  I loved these cause I didn't need to buy any material to make them, and I can make a bunch in a short period of time.  

First, I started out with cutting off a sleeve from an old t-shirt. 

Then, I cut up the seam to open up the sleeve.

Next, I cut the end stitching off, and cut the shirt into 1/2 inch strips.  Don't worry about being precise, it will still look good if it's not perfect.  

Now pick up three pieces and tie them in a knot on the end.  

Ask a friend or family member to hold the piece above the knot, and begin braiding.

Check the length as you go, and when it's long enough to reach around your wrist tie a knot in the end.  Cut off the excess on the ends.  

Overlap the two ends and using a small t-shirt piece tie a knot in-between the ends to form the bracelet.  

Cut off the ends and you are done.  Repeat the process, and make as many as you want!  Play with combining colors, or making just solid-colored bracelets.  

Happy DIYing!

More T-shirt projects!

I've been seeing a bunch of different DIY projects with old t-shirts, and I just love all of them!  A few days ago I made a braided headband out of an old t-shirt.  Today I used a very similar technique and made another headband (unbraided) and a necklace.  

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

- medium tank top made out of cotton t-shirt material 

- scissors

- ruler 

- hot glue gun

Directions:

- Lay a t-shirt (or tank top) flat on a table.  

- Cut the hem off the bottom.  Then cut the shirt into at least seven loops, each about 3/4 inch in width.  It doesn't make a big difference if you don't measure these pieces exactly.  Feel free to play with the width.

- Hold each loop in your left hand, laying the seams on top of each other.  Once you've placed all the loops in your left hand, grab the bottom of the loops with your right hand and stretch them apart.  The loops should start to curl up on each other.

- Cut one strip 2 inches by 4 inches, and then as many strips as you have loops that are 1/2 inch by 3 inches.  I used two different colors for my smaller strips, but you don't have to.  

- Starting with the longer strip wrap that around the seams you layered together in your left hand, hot glueing the piece down as you go.  Next wrap the smaller strips around each individual loop's remaining exposed seams, hot glueing as you go.  Now you have a necklace!

- For the headband you'll follow the same first three steps.  Then you will take the other seam of each loop and double it up to be on top of the loops piled together in your left hand.  Once you've done that you will cut a strip that is 2.5 inches by 4 inches, and wrap this around the seams hot glueing as you go.  

Hope you all enjoyed!  Happy DIYing!