Chain Bracelets

My sister Melissa and I haven't had the opportunity to craft together in such a long time! Maybe now that she's done with tax season (she's an accountant's assistant), she'll be able to resume our Friday craft dates! :) I'm hopeful! There was a night a little while ago that she and her hubby came over for dinner, and we decided a quick, easy, and cheap craft was necessary. I had seen an idea for making necklaces and bracelets out of chain and ribbon on the blog "On Clever Mode" and it fit our crafting qualifications exactly. Doesn't her bracelet look pretty?

Link to original tutorial at "On Clever Mode"

We had tons of ribbon in my stash to work with, but we had to make a quick trip to the hardware store for the chain. First we ran into Home Depot. We tried to look as inconspicuous as possible, even though we were entirely out of our  element, but since we were sniffing the air and remarking of how the store smelled just like our Dad, I'm sure store employees noticed us right away! ;o) 

We walked with purpose down the main drag until we saw an aisle sign that said, "Hardware." We were so excited to find chain in that aisle -- and we didn't even have to ask anyone for help!!! However, we didn't see any chain that looked nice enough for jewelry, so we decided to look in the lighting department, thinking perhaps they sold different chains near the lamps (for pull switches??? -- c'mon go with me here!). A kind employee stopped us on our way over and asked if we needed assistance. Melissa kept chugging on, wanting to prove we could do this on our own, but considering our lack of time, I decided to explain our plight to the nice guy. I started rambling about looking for "pretty chain" to weave ribbon through to make a bracelet. After a few moments, the nice young man put up his hand to stop my speech, saying, "Hold on. You lost me at 'pretty chain!'" The poor guy didn't know what to make of our crafting venture, but finally got a grip enough to tell me that the only chain they sold was located in the hardware aisle. Sigh. 

Not ready to admit defeat, Melissa and I headed over to Lowe's to see what they had, and thankfully we quickly found the chain we needed (in a package of 10 feet for $10), and we were soon on our way. Since each bracelet only uses one foot, we could make ten bracelets out of this package. Not bad! (oh, and by the way, I've since found this same chain available in gold at our local small town hardware store for purchase for about $1.30 a foot - they cut it for you in the amount you need).

Because the chain wasn't pre-cut, we had to enlist the help of Scott to cut a couple one foot sections. Since he didn't have the greatest wire cutters, he had to huff and puff a bit... and links went flying every so often. I'd recommend a sharp pair of cutters (and maybe safety goggles) if you decide to try this!

After we got our chain cut, the men left us alone to craft our hearts out. We looked through my ribbon stash and each found something we liked. Melissa picked a satin ribbon and I picked a grosgrain style. We each used 3 feet of ribbon, but because the satin was much less bulky than the grosgrain, we both had quite different results.

ribbon stash!

*Please click here to see the original tutorial at "On Clever Mode" for detailed instructions.* 

We started the bracelet by tying a knot at one end of the chain, leaving about one foot hanging on the end (to tie a bow later). Then we weaved the ribbon through each link of the chain. It was interesting that the satin ribbon slid through the links, barely adding any bulk. In fact, at first Melissa thought she was doing it wrong. But as she kept going over and under through the links, the bracelet took shape. Once she got to the end of the chain, she tied another knot to secure the ribbon. We then wrapped the bracelet around her wrist and tied a bow. Great job, Mel! :)

perfect for spring!

The grosgrain ribbon on my bracelet was much thicker, and since it had a print on one side, I had to twist it to make the print stay visible. Because it took up so much more ribbon to do it that way, I had to ask Scott to re-cut my chain to be about 7-8 inches long. I think it turned out nice, though! It only wraps around my wrist once (instead of twice like Melissa's and the original tutorial), but I kind of like that look. :)

So there you have it. Did you know you can buy crafting supplies at hardware stores? You should try it and let me know if you get any funny looks and comments like we did when you go searching for "pretty chain!" ;o)

With all my leftover chain, I'm thinking about trying this necklace next from "Blue Cricket Design." It looks like the same technique, only with much longer pieces of chain and ribbon.

Happy Crafting!!!

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