DIY Mother’s Day Friendship Bracelets

Heads up, guys — Mother’s Day is Sunday! Moms rock, and mine is particularly awesome if you ask me. And now that my sister is a mom, too, I wanted to do something to celebrate all of the ladies in our family. So obviously I made friendship bracelets. Duh.

But not just any friendship bracelets — fancy ones with hearts! My nine-year-old self’s heart is exploding with the awesomeness of a heart friendship bracelet. If you want to make some matching ones for yourself and your mom, here’s the full how-to.

Get two colors of embroidery thread, and cut four lengths of each color, 36″ each. Tie together in a knot about 2″ from the ends. Tape or pin the ends down on a flat surface. Arrange the colors so that like colors are on the outsides, and the colors alternate inward.

Starting with the left outer string (pink), cross it over the neighboring string (green), creating a shape like the number 4. Loop the pink around the back of the green and through. Pull toward the top until you’ve created a snug knot. Repeat this knot with the same two threads (you’ll always make the same knot twice on each string).

Once you’ve knotted twice around the green string, knot twice around the following pink string, and then the next green. Your original pink string that you’ve been knotting with should now be in the center.

 

Now take the pink string on the far right and mirror the process. Make a backwards 4 by crossing it over the next green string, loop around, pull through, and knot twice. Repeat this on the pink, then green strings.

When the right pink string reaches the center, knot it twice around the other pink string in the center. This will complete your first row. To make your second row, start with the green strings on the outsides and repeat the process.

The third and fourth rows will have slightly different steps. Begin the third row by taking the second string in from either side and making double knots around the outer strings. In this case, the green strings will knot over the pink strings.

Next, take the pink string on the left side and make regular double knots (starting with a 4 shape) around the pink one next to it, then the green.

Repeat the process using the rightmost pink string, and mirror the knots you made on the left side (start with backwards 4 shape). When you get to the center, knot it around the other pink string.

You’ve completed row three; now repeat that row for your fourth.

Start the process over and knot rows 1 and 2. You should start to see a heart pattern emerging.

Continue with rows 3 and 4, and just keep repeating the process until your bracelet is long enough.

Finally, knot the bracelet at the end and snip the extra thread, leaving enough to tie around your wrist.

I loved these things so much I made a whole bunch! (I even made a mini one for my niece.) Then I made my mom and sister have a photo shoot with me to model them all. Aren’t they adorable? I love that my sister’s baby bump is in the photos also.

Have fun experimenting with colors, and give these to all the moms in your life with lots of love. If you end up making them, be sure to Instagram a photo so we can all see. Happy Mother’s Day! xoxo