How to Make a Recycled T-Shirt Bracelet? – Easy DIY Craft for Teens4 min read
Craft is a great way to engage the kids in different kinds of fun activities. All of them love to do something other than studying or reciting poems, it is a break in the regular monotony and also improves their creativity, imagination and provides them with a medium to express themselves in whatever way they want. Making a bracelet from an old t-shirt is an innovative way of creating something new while at the same time retaining its essence. This will also instill values of socially responsible citizens among the kids as recycling is a major part of being environmentally conscious and using eco-friendly products. Recycling old clothes into bracelets will not only be cost-effective but will further reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and will allow the product to be used to its full potential.
Contents
Materials Required
- Old t-shirts
- A pair of scissors
- Bangle bracelet
- Ruler
- Hot glue gun
- Needle
- Thread
- White craft glue
Objective
- To have fun while spending time with parents/ guardian
- To gain the knowledge of recycling and creating things out of nearly wasted materials.
Procedure
- Place the t-shirt flat on a table-top or a similar surface and make sure it doesn’t have any creases. Smoothen it out, cut off the bottom hem of the t-shirt and discard.
- Now you will have to cut your t-shirt material into strips. Cut off the side seams and a 1″ broad strip from the bottom of the garment (from both sides). You should now have two strips. For the project, you’ll need 3 strips of cloth, so either cut more from the same t-shirt or cut strips from other t-shirts.
- Stretch the material out and wrap the t-shirt strip in a loose knot around the bracelet to make a simple single-colored bangle.
- Wrap the material around the bangle tightly. If you run out of material before finishing, simply hot glue another strip to the end of the one you’re working on and keep going.
Or
Wrap it around your wrist and decide the length of the bracelet accordingly. You can use thread to help you as well. - Untie the first knot and bind the two loose ends together when you reach the end. Cut the ends and secure with white craft glue. Tie them firmly and situate the knot on the inside of the bangle.
- Gather six strips of cloth, two of each color you want to use, to form braided bracelets. It’s best to use colors that contrast. For one bracelet, I used four tie-dyed stripes and two white stripes, and for the other, I used two grey, tie-dye, and pink strips each.
- To construct one long strip, use a hot glue gun to join two matching strips end to end. Carry on with the others. Stretch the material out, being careful not to tear it apart where it is attached. Make a loop knot with the three pieces, leaving a couple of inches above the knot.
- Braid the strips together to make a braid. Wrap in a rubber band or tie with spare fabric when you get to the finish (only temporary). Wrap the braid around the bangle tightly. Loosen the knots on both ends and tie them together when you reach the end. Use white craft glue to secure the knot. Trim the fringed ends to the desired length.
- If you want to make a multi-colored bracelet then simply take three different colored stripes. Stack them on top of each other and use needles and thread to sew the ends together.
- Next, place the stitched end of the fabric and tape it to the tabletop. This will ensure that the fabric doesn’t move while you braid it.
- Braid together the three fabric strips. Braid the entire strip, then use a piece of tape to temporarily secure the ends together.
- Decide how long you want the bracelet to be so wrap it around your wrist to determine its size. Use a piece of tape to mark where you want to cut the fabric.
- Cut the fabric to the desired length. Sew the two ends of the fabric together with the thread that is still attached. When finished, tie a knot on the extra thread and snip it off. Cover the seam with a spare piece of fabric.
This exercise will be a fun handicraft bonding session with your little one and will definitely teach them the importance of using materials up to their full potential and is also helpful in educating them about sustainable development.
