FUN ACCESSORY DIY WOVEN YARN BANGLES

Weaving has had quite a resurgence of late so I thought it would be fun to translate this craft trend into something wearable. It’s winter here in Australia, and I liked the idea of a warm cosy bangle wrapped in colourful yarn.

I know yarn wrapped accessories are not a new thing but the idea of weaving a pattern in is an accessible way to experiment with designing woven patterns without having to commit to a big project.

These bangles look great worn as a stack so make a few that co-ordinate together. If you can’t get wooden bangle blanks, you can buy plastic bangles at the thrift store and refashion them.

You will need:

• Wooden Bangle blanks (or old thrifted bangles)
• Double sided tape
• Assorted yarn
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors

How to:

1. Line the inside of your bangle with a strip of double sided tape. Don’t peel it off the backing layer yet.

2. Make a small ball of the yarn colour that you will use as your base. The ball needs to be small enough to fit through the bangle.

3. Peel a short section of tape back and firmly stick down the end of yarn.

4. Start wrapping yarn around the bangle covering the tail.

5. Continue wrapping neatly peeling back double sided tape protective layer as you go along. Keep the yarn close together and press firmly on back to adhere it to tape.

6. To finish off thread needle with the tail of remaining yarn and feed it under the tightly wrapped yarn.

7. Thread tapestry needle with a length of contrasting yarn. Start by passing the needle under several strands of yarn on the bangle the more strands the better as the tail end will end up more secure.

8. Pull yarn just until you don’t see the tail.

9. Create your design by weaving in and out of the wrapped strands of yarn on bangle.

10. When you get back to start, continue weaving another row, slightly shifting your in and out pattern.

11. To finish off, feed yarn under the tightly wrapped base yarn strands. Trim excess.

Play with different colours and weave patterns to create different designs. You could even try using varied materials like string or fine ribbon to create interesting textures.

Fluffy yarn is perfect for winter accessories but why not try the same technique with embroidery floss for wearing in spring and summer.

Time to accessorise your favourite outfit.

Statement Jewellery is a fabulous way to bring an old outfit bang up to date but designer pieces can be a little expensive. Instead try making these decoupage Harlequin Bangles yourself with some inexpensive supplies. No special skills required.

The diamond harlequin pattern is super playful and these bangles really cheer me up whenever I wear them. When you make your own feel free to choose colours that suit your style.

Wear several wooden bangles stacked together or mix and match them with other plain jewellery pieces.

I’ve used flat sided wooden bangle blanks to make these Harlequin Bangles.

If you can’t get hold of any blank bangles, (not all craft stores stock them) or you just fancy doing a bit of up cycling, an old thrift store bangle will work just as well.