Upcycle a T-Shirt into a Fab Braided Bracelet

Step 2:

3. Gather the T-shirt together in the lengthwise direction. Wrap yarn or rubber bands along the length of the shirt in 2” intervals. If using yarn, wrap the yarn around numerous times and tie a knot with the ends. Wrap the entire T- shirt.

Step 3:

4. Dip shirt in warm water and squeeze out excess. Set aside.

5. Shake all dye bottles before measuring dye. Wearing rubber gloves, measure and mix ½ cup dye with ½ cup very hot water (140◦F). Pour into squirt bottle and shake to mix. Prepare 3 bottles, one each with Sunshine Orange, Aquamarine and Fuchsia dye.


6. Starting at one end, squirt 3 colors of dye over T-shirt sections, leaving some white area between colors as the dye will continue to blend from one color to the next, creating a new color. (Rules of color mixing apply.)

7. Wrap the T-shirt in plastic wrap and place in the microwave on high for two minutes. Remove plastic wrap carefully as it will be hot. Carefully cut and remove yarn. Rinse T-shirt in cold water.

8. Rinse T-shirt until water runs clear. Then wash shirt in warm water with mild detergent, rinse and dry.

Step 4:

Creating Tees Strips:

1. Cut T-shirt into 1” strips, following the Cutting Diagram above. Gently stretch each of the strips to form rolled fabric tubes. The Tees strips are formed as the fabric is stretched and each of the sides curls towards the center. You will need 2 Tees strips to create one bracelet. After cut strips are stretched, they should measure approximately 72” each. Cut each Tees strip into 5 equal lengths for a total of 10.

Step 5:

Making the Tees Bracelet:

1. Lay 6 Tees strips on a flat surface next to each other and wrap a knot over one end of the strips, following the Wrap & Knot diagram above. Note: A separate Tees strip is wrapped around the 6 strips that will become the bracelet, leaving a tail approximately 8” in length and a loop at the top. Refer to diagram. Divide the 6 strips into 3 groups and braid to the desired length. Create a second wrap knot at the opposite end. Trim ends as per diagram, leaving a single strip on either side of the bracelet. Add a drop of glue at the base of the knots, covering the trimmed ends.

2. Feed each of the 2 remaining strips through a single pony bead from opposite ends to form the closure. Add an additional pony bead to the end of each strip. Tie overhand knots at desired length and trim.

3. Creating a Spiral: Apply glue to the outside edge of 1 pony bead and wrap a Tees strip around bead firmly. Continue adding glue and wrapping to form a spiral approximately 1” wide. Repeat making a second beaded spiral. Set aside to dry.

4. Glue the two beaded spirals together side by side, butting the raw ends together. Let dry. Use a toothpick or needle tool to insert a Tees strip through the center top of each of the beaded spirals. Wrap the strip around to the backside and glue, trimming away excess fabric so that the ends meet.

5. Apply glue to the center top of the braided bracelet and press the beaded spirals into the glue. Set aside with a heavy object on top and let dry.