button bracelet

There is something so relaxing about making jewelry. Last year, in writing class we had to pick a word for the year, kind of like a personal theme or goal. Mine was calm. I had to repeat calm this year due to disappointing progress. Calm is hard to learn. You can't try too hard, because then you won't be calm - you will be hyper, and anxious about not being calm enough. It's a tangled web. Lackadaisical people do not know how lucky they are. As soon as I start making headway on calm, I get all cocky and forget to keep practicing. But, I am not a natural and will always need to practice. Crafts, yoga, breathing, prayer, herbal tea - all good. 

Here's how to make a button bracelet, which would make an excellent gift for just about anybody. (With the possible exception of Queen Elizabeth.) This bracelet has tons of variations. You can use all the same size buttons or mix it up. I added beads, which is optional. Also, you could use 4 hole buttons and run two parallel lines of thread to add stability. Gather Stretch Magic elastic, buttons, and beads.

Cut 2 pieces of Stretch Magic nearly double the length you want the bracelet to be. Knot them together to hold in place. Don't pull the knot too tight, as you'll need to undo it later. Slip the first button in between the threads, and then loop the top thread down the first hole, and up the second. The thread on the bottom will do just the opposite, up the first hole and down the second. Now it should look like the picture below.

 Slide a bead onto the top thread as in below.

 Now, repeat what you did above - top thread down and up, bottom thread down then up.

Slide a bead onto top thread. Keep repeating this procedure till you have the amount of buttons to fit your wrist - or that of the intended recipient.

Now, untie the know you started with and loop onto the end, so that you pull the threads to the underside to knot them all together. Knot well and trim threads. Enjoy! If you make one, email me a picture and I'll post it here.