I L-O-V-E love the finger-knit jersey bracelets Heather’s been making, but I don’t have many knits on-hand right now. No, my bounty is in garden variety cotton; of that, I have plenty. As I started weaving up friendship bracelets, I thought, Say! I bet this would work with fabric…
…and– sure enough– it does. Do you have ten minutes and a couple of scraps? If so, you have all the fixins for a scrappy little Friendship Bangle!

I use three 1/2″-wide strips, cut the full width of the fabric (about 40″). You don’t actually need that long of a strip — about 30″ will do — but it’s easier to work with ends that are a little long than skimpy ones; trust me on this. Knot the three pieces together at the top, leaving about a 3″ tail [as shown].

Attach your strips to a clipboard, right beneath your knot. Begin weaving with the first strip, from left to right. I used the diagonal stripes pattern here, which is very simple. Over, under, and through.

[Yikes! This one’s a little blurry. Sorry ’bout that.] When you reach the end of the row, start again with the “new” first strip. Continue weaving until you reach your desired length. I just keep holding the piece up to my wrist until it seems about right. The one that I’m doing here ended up being taking about 7″ of weaving; one for a child would probably take about 5″.

When you’ve reached your desired length, tie the strips into another knot at the base of your braid.

Bring the two ends together to form a ring, and knot them.

Trim the ends to whatever length suits you, and that’s it! You have yourself a friendship bangle.

I was not exaggerating when I said these only take about ten minutes to make, and that’s going at a fairly leisurely pace. Selecting the color combinations, of course, is a whole ‘nother story, but results may not be typical in that regard. I tend to get a little carried away with the process, there. Consider yourself warned, though: These are extremely addictive! I’ve made about two dozen already, and can’t wait to make some more. They’re fast, fun, and frugal — give ’em a try and see! I know someone who could use them….
NOTES:
- Although the diagonal stripes pattern I referenced calls for four strips, it definitely works with three. You could always add more for a different look, or even change the width of the strips. I made one with 1/4″ wide ones; it makes a very skinny bangle. Next up, I plan on using wider ones.(5/2/11) Edited to add : 1″ wide strips result in a nice, chunky bangle with much less fraying. I’ll definitely be making more in this size, too!
- The fabric will fray quite a bit when as you’re weaving. For the most part, it only adds to the charm of your finished project, but if the threads seem a little out of hand in some places, just give your bracelet a haircut. (Be careful not to cut into the strips themselves!)
- When you trim the ends, after forming the bracelet, you can also create a fringe by cutting into the end of all six strips at about 1/8 – 1/4″ intervals.
I think that’s everything. I hope you’ve enjoyed this, my very first tutorial. (How weird is that? Is this really my first semi-original idea in four years? Nah….)