Fanciful Frills {Let’s get Crafty with Yarn Bracelets!}

My evenings have been filled with yarn, and ribbons and fabric pieces these days.  Crocheting, weaving, listening to audiobooks.  All the yarn and fabric bits, combined with me always wearing my empty packing tape rolls when I am working on orders, led me to come up with an idea.

A simple, fun and pretty idea, that I had to share with you…

I am sure that if your are crafty, and/or crochet or knit, you might have that little bit of yarn left, that is too small of an amount to do anything much with.  In fact, I have 1 and 2 yard pieces of some of my favorite yarn.  Not enough to make a scarf, but just enough to roll into a little ball and save.

As I was packaging orders this week, and wearing an empty roll of packing tape, I thought, I should wrap these empty tape rolls with all those pretty yarns and fabrics I have leftover, and make bracelets.  So, I painted a few empty tape rolls with one messy coat of acrylic paint…

As soon as they dried, I started wrapping them.

I instantly felt an addiction coming on…

Of course, once I got started, I wanted to use lots of different textile loves.  I thought this was just perfect due to no glue, no mess, easy and yay. 

A great crafty gift too.  Holiday summer making.  Something I always want to do, and don't.

I figured out that wrapping each bracelet in 24 inch increments works really well.  So, I cut a piece of about 24" yarn, tied it to the roll, leaving a first end, and then wrapped the yarn around.  I did this until I had about a 2" end left, and then tied that end to my first end.  I repeated that until I had wrapped the whole roll.

I left the ties on the outside, which made tassels in a way.  I liked it, especially since I planned on tying all sorts of yarn to the bracelet once my initial wrapping was complete.

As soon as I wrapped the whole bracelet in teal yarn, I took bits of other fave yarns, and tied them wherever I wanted.  I didn't want a uniform look.  I wanted a sort of mermaid seaweed look…

Easy, and so fun!

It's almost too fun, I am so hooked now it isn't even funny.

I think, making usable things, with recycled materials no less, is beyond fulfilling.  Especially when you make something you can gift or wear yourself.

I decided to make a super soft red one.  I was going to make it sort of gypsy.  I still want to sew little coins and bits and baubles to it.

Super soft.

Yummy!

I wrapped other colors and textures of yarn around it.  It is so cozy to wear too.

Like I said, I can't wait to sew all sorts of baubles on to the red one.  I think that will look super fun, don't you?

As I was winding yarn around the red bracelet, I felt a Marie Antoinette inspired piece coming on.  With lace and such…

I am making another one with fabric strips.  Seriously though, you will get hooked on this if you try it.  It is way fun.  Imagine all the things you can add to these?  The ideas are endless…

Buttons, keys, watch faces, feathers, ribbons, millinery flowers, petals, glitter, stones, beads… Anything!

As I was in a mind explosion of thoughts, I had the best idea yet, for me at least.

You see, I have bunches of brooches that I rarely wear, but love.  I have some really special antique ones, that I sometimes pin on a necklace or charm bracelet.  Since, we can't always wear a coat or sweater in Arizona.

However, the bestest thing about these bracelets is that, since you have wrapped them with yarn or fabric, you now have a place to attach your brooches onto.

I would put in a tiny needle & thread stitch or two, just so your brooch doesn't open and get lost.  But other than that, I think this has hooked me even more…

I pulled out my favorite antique brooches, and I thnk that they worked really lovely on these…

I didn't even intend to make bracelets that went perfectly with brooches I had.  It just worked out that way.  These are some of my favorite brooches, that I would never part with, and always want to use more… 

And now I will.  Do you have brooches you would like to use this way as well?

I am really excited.

I am inspired to make some of these, of course, not using my very beloved brooches, but other trinkets and treasures, for Christmas gifts.

I can't wait to wear this one…

The other thing I like, is to push my bracelets up high on my arm.  And these work in that manner also.

I am really looking forward to making more of these with all of my extra yarn and ribbons.  And plus, getting to wear my brooches to boot.  That makes me extra happy.

I have been evening crocheting a lot lately (before bed), listening to really good audiobooks that I purchase on Itunes, and feeling the spirit of the holiday season urging me to make some gifts now, so that the season doesn't slap me in the face, in the height of it.

The thing is, I am one of those people that loves to be in the moment of the season I am in.  I get a smidge annoyed when I see all the Christmas items in the shops in August.  Yet, as I get older, time goes faster, and I suppose I should try to get organized during these hot summer days.  Plus, being in the art/retail/wholesale world, you almost have to be prepared for autumn in May.  In fact, I had an autumn inspired deadline 2 months ago, and a holiday/winter inspired deadline this month.  And, I did enjoy it.

But, what really shocks me is that it is the end of July. 

Can you believe it?

I decided a while back to just succumb to age and time, and all that.  But, it still goes by shockingly fast.  Doesn't it?

Well, I best be off.

 I have paint on a palette.

I would love to see your bangles if you try this.

Love, V