T-Shirt Necklaces, Bracelets and Scarves - LFPL How to Festival

On Saturday, May 11, the Louisville Free Public Library will host the How To Festival at it's main branch from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. I will be there from 1-3 p.m. demonstrating how to make a t-shirt necklace, bracelet and scarf. Here's the instructions so you can do it at home if you can't make it to the festival.

Supplies

• Clean t-shirt (most stains won't show up), One with stripes or a colorful one will work best. Almost any recycled fabric will work.
• Scissors
• Masking tape or heavy object

Starting from the bottom of the t-shirt, cut 1" strips across it (this will form rings). (Also if you are using another type of fabric you can cut a snip into the fabric, then tear to give the finished product a funky frayed look.)

If you want to make a necklace or bracelet, you can cut the rings in half.

If you want to make the scarf, you will keep the rings in tact.

Necklace/bracelet:

• Choose 2- 3 strips of fabric, tying a knot at the top to hold the pieces together.  You can choose different fabrics, or all the same, whatever you like.
• Begin braiding or twisting the fabric strips.  Placing a book or other heavy object on the knotted end or using masking tape to tape it to a table will help hold the necklace in place as you braid.
• When twist/braid is complete, finish by knotting.
• Take the two knotted ends and tie a third knot to make a loop, pulling very tightly.
• Cut the excess fabric and original end knots off, leaving only the finishing knot.
• Try layering necklaces of various sizes and colors for an easy summer look.

Scarf:

• You will need as many circled strips as you wish for the length of the scarf, usually about 10-15. You will get about 15-16 from one t-shirt.
• Stretch out each ring and wrap around your hand three to four times. The more times you wrap around the shorter and thicker you scarf will be.
• You will need some smaller strips, approx. 2", to tie the scarf together. These can be cut from the sleeves of the t-shirt. They should be cut about 1/2" wide.
• Once you get the ring strips ready, you will link the loops made on your hand with the smaller strips by tying it around two loops. You can either leave it open so you have one long scarf or you can tie the two ends together to make a round scarf.