This fabric bracelet is another one of those easy accessory projects that you can make quickly and easily, and with minimal investment if you already have fabric scraps on hand. For the version with buttons pictured here, I only needed 2 strips of fabric, each about 1-1/4″ wide, 2 d-rings, and a few stray buttons. You can use smaller scraps as well, as I did with the blue crazy-pieced bracelet. Other variations are limited only by your imagination.

I’ve seen several cute fabric bracelets that were fastened with buttons and cord, and I love them all, but for this bracelet I wanted something that fastened a bit more securely. I also wanted it to be completely adjustable to fit wrists other than my own, just in case a very convincing niece talks me out of it.  These d-rings have been on my table for a couple of weeks, waiting for another project that I’m working on, so they were an obvious choice for my bracelet.

When choosing fabric for the back of the bracelet, keep in mind that it will probably show, so don’t pick the ugliest thing in your stash.

About cutting your fabric strips – I used 3/4″ d-rings, so my strip width is 1-1/4″ (3/4″ + 1/4″ on each side for seam allowances).  Actually, I cut them very slightly wider than 1-1/4″ because my seams tend to go a tiny bit over 1/4″. For length, I estimated that 10″ would be enough, keeping in mind that I would lose about 1-1/2″ of that during construction.

My wrist measures less than 6″, and I had a lot of length left over when I put this on, so I tucked the loose end beneath the bracelet. If you don’t want to do this, be sure you adjust the length accordingly.

Once you determine the size of your strips, the rest is very quick and easy.

With right sides together and using 1/4″ seam, sew the strips together on both long sides and one short side.  Leave the remaining short side open for turning.

To reduce bulk, clip the corners of the short end that you stitched up.

Using a chopstick or a dowel, turn the strip right side out. Press carefully. If you want, you can zigzag the raw end, but I didn’t really think it was necessary on mine.

Topstitch around the edges if you like.  This step isn’t necessary, but you know me, I topstitch everything.

Insert the open end through both d-rings and fold down about 1 to 1-1/4″, to the back of the bracelet.

Pin in place, and stitch through all layers to secure.

You can stop now and wear your bracelet, or you can embellish it with buttons, embroidery, beads, or whatever comes to mind.  Just be careful not to attach anything where it will get pinched by the d-rings.

I made the jewelry pouch pictured here before I found this tutorial, and since I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, I’ve just noted my own variations below. (Note: the photos on the linked tutorial no longer work, but the directions are still there.  I’ll try to create my own tutorial as soon as I have a few free moments, and will post it here.)

1) I cut my circles 16-1/2″ and 12-1/2″ (7″ and 11″ in the tutorial).

2) Before I made the interior pockets, I inserted a 5″ circle of template plastic beneath the stitched set of small circles. I stitched all around just outside the edge of the plastic, then made my pockets by sewing from the edge of the plastic to the outer edge of the small circles.  If you use the smaller size shown in the tutorial, the plastic shouldn’t be necessary.  I only used it to provide a firmer base for my finished pouch.

This pouch makes a wonderful gift. I’ve given many of these away, and everyone loves them!

I have a collection of interesting buttons, and since I rarely sew clothing, I like to use them as embellishments for handbags. I’ve never tried to make button jewelry, until now. My inspiration for this pin came from Button Jewelry by Sara Withers, which I found at the public library. The book has instructions for button-covered barrettes, but I’ve adapted the technique for use with a pin back. The author also uses beading thread, but I didn’t have any, so I substituted inexpensive 26-gauge jewelry wire.  I probably won’t make many projects from this book, simply because I don’t have the eyesite or the patience for most of them, and because nice buttons can be expensive.

These are very easy to make, but I’d like to emphasize a few points.  First, safety.  I know I’m supposed to wear eye protection when I’m using wire-cutting tools, but I don’t, and when that tiny bit of wire I snip off flies up and hits me in the eye, I’ll be very sorry. Second, be patient when you’re tying this thing together.  Third, pull the wire as tight as you can so your buttons don’t wobble on the pin back.  And fourth, don’t expect the back of your pin to be pretty, unless you have very nimble fingers, because it probably won’t be.

For this project, you will need a pin back, buttons and beads of your choice, jewelry wire, and wire snips.  I used approximately 12 inches of 26-gauge wire, which fit through my beads without a lot of extra wiggle room.  If you want, you can use beading thread and a needle instead, being sure to tie off at the beginning and the end with knots.  My supplies are pictured below.

 First, secure one end of your wire to the pin back, by wrapping it a couple of times around the pin.  You can make use of the holes on the pin if you like, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

 Thread your wire through the holes of your first button a couple of times, pulling the button tightly to the pin.  With the wire pulled to the front of the button, thread it through a bead, then back through the button to the back of the pin, and wrap it around the back a couple of times. 

Continue adding buttons and beads in this fashion until you’re satisfied with your pin.  I used only three buttons, but you can add as many as you like.  If you run out of wire, just cut another piece, secure it to the back, and continue as before.  When you’re done, wrap the wire a couple more times around the back, and cut with wire snips.

I wasn’t planning on showing you the messy back of my project, but I guess it’s only fair!

tagged for technorati: beads, buttons, how-to, jewelry, pin, tutorial, button jewelry

I hate to throw stuff away. No, I’m not a packrat, but I do object to tossing out perfectly good scraps of beautiful fabric when I can easily turn them into something useful. OK, I use the term “useful” very loosely here, but fabric trimmings can be used in a variety of ways other than as landfill waste. Jewelry, for example. Here, I’ve made a flower pin out of selvages and pieces that I’ve trimmed off when straightening the edges of my fabric for other projects.

To make your own fabric flower:

Collect small strips of colorful fabrics, or cut strips specifically for this project. My scraps ranged in size from ¼” to ¾” wide, and were all less than 9 inches in length. The strips don’t have to be straight or uniform in length. Remember, these are scraps! The number you need will vary depending on the size of your flower. For mine, I used a total length of about 85 inches. This doesn’t have to be a precise measurement, but you want enough length to make your flower nice and full. If you use too much length, it will be difficult to sew through the center of the flower.

Sew down the center (lengthwise) of all your strips, one after another, on your sewing machine. Don’t cut the threads between strips—just keep sewing until all your strips are sewn together in one continuous, long strip.

Wrap the strip around a large plastic ring, being sure to cover the entire surface. You can use a very large plastic washer from the hardware store, or make a ring out of cardboard if you like. Here, I used a plastic pendant I found in the jewelry section of my local hobby store. I don’t recommend using a metal washer, because you will be going back to your sewing machine in the next step, and while sewing into hard plastic probably isn’t good for your machine, I’m quite sure that hitting a metal washer with your needle is a very bad thing!

Attach a darning or free-motion embroidery/quilting foot to your machine and drop the feed dogs. Please consult your manual if you don’t know how to do this. Sew the strips together by stitching in a free-motion fashion in the open center of the ring, being careful not to hit the ring. Take your time. The fabric layers might be quite thick.

After securing the center of your flower, use scissors (embroidery scissors work well) to cut the outside edge of the flower away from the washer.

Sew on a button or other decorative center, then sew on a pin-back, and you have an inexpensive and fashionable piece of jewelry or an embellishment for your bag, hat, or scarf.