DIY Jewelry: Rope Bracelet

Rope bracelets are the in-things now. They can be worn anytime, to any place for any occasion. They look cool and the customization possibilities are endless. Sitting in the comfort of your home, you can turn into your own fashion designer by making rope bracelets. All you need is a little patience, care and this tutorial. So here goes!

Rope Bracelet

Difficulty level

This project can be labelled as 'Moderately Easy'.

Time required

The actual process of making will take only about 20-25 minutes. But, factoring in the time needed to dry, the time required would be about 4-5 hours.

Resources required

1. A Hot-glue gun
2. Hot-glue sticks for the gun
3. Hot-glue pad
4. Cotton rope - thin
5. Ruler
6. Fabric stiffener
7. Scissors
8. Small bowl
9. Plastic wrap
10. Drinking glass
11. Liquid leaf oil paint
12. Electric fan (optional, for drying)

1. Squeeze out a little hot glue on to the glue pad. Align the ends of the cotton rope press it into the hot glue. Allow it to cool.
2. As per your choice, you can either, twist, braid or knot the rope in a design. Make a loop now and adjust the inner diameter to 2 1/2 inches for a small size, 2 5/8 inches for medium size and 2 3/4 inches for large size. Mark the end point with your finger.
3. Take another small drop of hot glue on the pad. Use this to press that part of the rope that your finger is marking. Allow to cool. Once it has cooled, cut through the hot glue at the bottom end of the rope.
4. Trim the hanging strands at the top end of the rope. Once again, make use of the hot glue on the glue pad to attach both the ends of the rope.
5. Pour the fabric stiffener into the large bowl. Immerse the rope bracelet completely in the liquid in the bowl.
6. After a while, remove the bracelet from the liquid. Using your fingers, remove away any excess stiffener that is sticking to the bracelet.
7. Cover a drinking glass with a wrapping of plastic. Place the glass with the broad end downwards.Place the bracelet over this cup and start pushing down to give a circular shape to it. Keep it in place for about a minute and then remove it.
8. Now, place the bracelet on a flat surface, over the plastic wrap. Press the bracelet down to level it. Once this is done, allow the bracelet to dry for about 1-2 hours.
9. Paint the bracelet with liquid leaf. Once the paint dries, your bracelet is ready to be worn.

1. Can I further decorate my bracelets?

A. You could accent your bracelets by adding hooks and other add-ons as per your taste and style. There is no limit to the possibilities.

2. Is there any other way to stiffen the bracelet rather than using fabric stiffener which is time-consuming?

A. For a quick fix, you could also try using hair-setting sprays. These will work fine though they will not be as efficient as the fabric stiffeners.

Tips

• In case you want to speed up the process of drying the bracelet, you could make use of a table fan.
• For the initial braiding or plaiting part, you could seek help from someone in case you are not able to get a good design.

• Be careful while using the hot-glue gun. Hot glue sticks fast and can also cause burns when it comes in contact with skin.