15 Simple Friendship Bracelet Patterns
While it’s hard to trace the origins of friendship bracelets back to their first occurence in history, it is generally accepted that they come from the Indigenous Peoples in South and Central America.
Friendship bracelets can be simple and lovely as well as complicated and impressive.
They are symbols of friendship and are tied onto the wrist by the friend who made it for you. It is traditionally understood that the bracelet should be worn until it falls off on its own.
Thinking about making some friendship bracelets with your friends? Let’s take a look at some friendship bracelet patterns.
How to Make a Friendship Bracelet
There are so many different kinds of friendship bracelets you can make. In general, though, there are some things you’re going to want to know about making them.
First, you’re going to need to gather your supplies. This typically means using embroidery floss, but you can also use a variety of different materials like yarn, scrap fabric, and leather.
The four basic knots you’ll want to learn are known as the forwards knot, the backwards knot, the forwards-backwards knot, and the backwards-forwards knot. Having these knots in your arsenal will ensure that you can make a lot of the bracelets on your wish-list.
You’re also going to want to tape or safety pin your tied embroidery floss to a hard surface or pillow. This will make it so your weaving can be more straightforward and clean. Without this, your strings can get tangled and you might not have the desired amount of tension.
Before you get started on a complicated pattern, you might want to do some practicing first. There is a bit of a feel to having your knots land flat in the desired fashion.
1. Fabric Scrap Friendship Bracelet
Instead of using floss, one fun way to make friendship bracelets is using fabric scraps. Anyone who’s even remotely into crafting probably has a bag of fabric scraps lying around. These can be made in a similar fashion as traditional friendship bracelets, but jewelry end caps can be used to make them stay together for longer.
2. Beaded Friendship Bracelets
Why not make your DIY friendship bracelet a little fancier? There’s no reason you shouldn’t glam it up a notch with jewels and jewelry chains. Adding fancy beads can be a great way to still wear your best friendship bracelets if you’re worried the traditional bracelets are a bit childish.
You could even consider swapping a silver friendship bracelet with your pal. Take a look at these wholesale bracelets.
3. T-Shirt Friendship Bracelets
Another fun upcycling project, you can use old t-shirts to make t-shirt yarn. Then you can weave and wrap this yarn around existing bangle bracelets. You can even make a matching headband!
4. Letter Beaded Friendship Bracelets
If you want to change up your friendship bracelet materials a bit more, consider using leather cord rather than the typical embroidery floss. There are so many cool ways how to make a friendship bracelet out of leather.
5. Chinese Ladder Friendship Bracelet
This is a great simple way to learn how to make a friendship bracelet. The internet is full of Chinese ladder bracelet patterns.
6. Knotted Friendship Bracelets
This is another easy one for beginners. If you can tie a knot, you can make this bracelet!
7. Jelly Fish Friendship Bracelets
Seven-stranded and adorable, this is a really fun one to make. When you’re in the process of making this awesome jewelry, you’ll understand why they call it the jellyfish bracelet.
8. Round Braid Leather Friendship Bracelets
Classy, fun, and funky, this is another great twist on the classic friendship bracelet. Depending on which colors you use, you can determine whether this bracelet is more subtle or more eclectic.
9. Heart Friendship Bracelets
Is there any cuter idea than weaving hearts right into your friendship bracelets? A great gift for your very best friend, you can’t go wrong with this one.
10. Striped Friendship Bracelets
Rather than keeping the stripes diagonal or horizontal, consider making friendship bracelets with stripes that go long ways. It creates a cool, put-together look.
11. Ombre Stripe Friendship Bracelets
Ombre has had a serious run as a trend, from hair to prom dresses and everything in between. Ombre looks great on your friendship bracelet, and it wont damage your hair!
12. Classic Knotted Friendship Bracelets
Sometimes it’s best to stick with the classics. Simple, interesting, and straight-forward, you just can’t go wrong with this one.
13. Watermelon Friendship Bracelets
If you’re looking for a fun, summery friendship bracelet idea, this one’s for you. The colors are bright, joy-bringing, and reminiscent of everyone’s favorite member of the Cucurbitaceae family.
14. Classic Diagonal Stripe Friendship Bracelets
This is a great one if you’re just starting out on your life’s journey of friendship bracelet making. Simple, cut, and to the point, you can make thick bracelets with distinct patterns that accent any outfit.
15. Chevron Pattern Friendship Bracelet
No list of friendship bracelets would be complete without mentioning the chevron pattern. Shaped like arrow after arrow, it’s a great way to display your favorite color combinations.
These Friendship Bracelet Patterns Are Only the Beginning!
Friendship bracelets are an ancient form of jewelry, but they’ve only recently become popular throughout the world. Gaining popularity in the U.S. in the 70s and 80s, these are awesome uni-sex and durable jewelry to wear at any occassion.
Remember, friendship bracelets are a form of creative expression. Feel free to get innovative and add charms or other fun twists into your bracelets.
Did you find this article full of friendship bracelet patterns helpful? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more fun and interesting content!