Use precious scraps of beautiful Liberty fabric to make a beaded bracelet.

How to make a bracelet from pretty fabric scraps

I love this Liberty fabric, it’s a old design from the 80’s, a paisley which I think is called Mayfair. Unfortunately it seems to be discontinued. I only have a few tiny scraps left and wanted to make something worthwhile with them. Previously I made a ribbon and bead bracelet so I tried using strips of this fabric instead of the ribbon to make a bracelet. I'm really pleased with how this has turned out. You can make your bracelet with any fabric of course, it doesn’t have to be a Liberty print!

I had just enough fabric to make 2 versions of this bracelet. One with the flat rectangular “Ribbon Ends” and one with the round barrel like “End Caps”

To make a bracelet from pretty fabric scraps you will need:

A Selection of Jewellery Finding:

And:

Scraps of fabric
Beads like these porcelain ones
Strong glue like superglue , Bostik Power repair or E6000
A paperclip

The method is almost exactly the same as the Ribbon and Bead Bracelet except we are substituting ribbon for fabric.

How to make a fabric bracelet

Cut 3 fabric strips each one approx 19cm x 3.5cm (that's about 7.5" x 1.5"). Adjust the length if you need your bracelet to be a little longer.

You can see more details of how to calculate the right length for you on the ribbon and bead bracelet post, where I try hard not to overcomplicate it! Basically you want to cut the fabric to the length you need your bracelet to be minus the length of the clasp you are using. My round end cap fastening was longer than the flat ribbon end so for that bracelet my fabric strips were shorter.

Thread a bead or two onto each length of fabric. Use a large needle if you have one that will fit through the hole in your beads, otherwise use the end of a unravelled paper-clip to push it through. Liberty lawn is fine so it isn’t difficult to push through, if your fabric is thicker you may need to choose beads with a larger hole.

Using the Flat Ribbon End

Apply a small dob of glue inside the ribbon end then hold the ends of the fabric strips together and sandwich then between the teeth of the ribbon end. Use plier to squeeze the ribbon end closed.

Using a round end cap fastening

To use a round end cap squeeze all the fabric ends together and tie around them with a length of thread. Apply some strong glue into the end cap and then shove (technically term) the fabric in. It should be a tight fit and you may need to use that unravelled paperclip again.

Whichever type of fastening you use, as soon as your glue is dry your bracelet is ready to wear.

As you can see my round end cap fastening had a chain too which makes the bracelet more adjustable. Ideal if you are making a fabric bracelet as a gift.

Which is better, ribbon ends or round end caps?

Both types of bracelet fastening work perfectly well. Personally I prefer the round end caps for a bracelet, it is more comfortable to wear. The ribbon ends make the bracelet wider though so the finished effect is more cuff like.

I made some more bracelets in a similar way using scraps of old scarves and saris too, this is such a versatile idea. You could make one to go with every outfit.