Rag Rug Friendship Bracelet Pattern
Craft a rag rug friendship bracelet using this pattern and step by step tutorial – with photos AND video! When you’re done, give this viral zig zag friendship bracelet a try too. This post contains affiliate links.
The rag rug friendship bracelet is quite a unique one. While other friendship bracelets rely on sequencing in setting up your string, the rag rug friendship bracelet has you placing each line’s visible strings individually, allowing you endless design possibilities…
Yet, there are limitations in the fact that you’re working with smaller strings.
Today, I’m going to teach you how to make a rag rug friendship bracelet with loads of tips and design steps for beginners. My goal is not to provide a flat, hard-to-read pattern, rather, to provide you with the groundwork to know this bracelet well enough to take it to the next level yourself.
This bracelet is right in line with friendship bracelets for beginners – it’s the next step up from the very basic. It’s VERY similar to the horizontal stripe bracelet, and can be made as name friendship bracelets as well.
Because you are adding each thread individually, you end up with a fringe on each side. You can also veer away from the typical repeating pattern, however, for the purposes of this post I did stick with a simple pattern (more on that soon).
The rag rug friendship bracelet is the foundation for “alpha patterns” – that is, horizontal patterns that are tied around a base set of strings.
Tips for making a rag rug friendship bracelet
Using your scraps
One of the coolest perks of making rag rug friendship bracelets: you can use up your scraps!
While you’ll want a longer run for your center strings, they don’t need to be the same color, and are significantly shorter than center threads on bracelets that are used as key color threads/knotting threads and are not just there to be knotted around.
You can also use up smaller scraps from various projects since you only need a few inches for each row – and they’re separate threads!
There are so many ways you can use up scraps in rag rug friendship bracelets. I recommend sorting your scraps by color to use on a later bracelet.
You’re doing about 60-70 rows of knots, so keep that in mind when planning patterns with scraps.
Color scheme tips
If you’ve crafted quite a lot of friendship bracelets in the past, you might have quite the pile of diverse scraps. You don’t NEED to use scraps for this and I didn’t. While most people think of rag rugs as messy mops of color, even if you’re using scraps, you can still stick to a simpler palette.
I like to keep things bold and striking in these posts, and have a consistent color palette that I stick with, as you can see on this diamond friendship bracelet. I like a one or two color ombre (and for this one I went with two colors) to add a bit of drama and depth – even when not getting 3D effects.
If you’d like, you can use color wheels to help you in choosing colors, but I just like to pick mine from nature. Blue and yellow is like the sun in the sky, purple and green is floral.
You can also simply sort scraps by color family and do it that way.
The center strings on your rag rug friendship bracelet won’t show – so you can use up a color you don’t love for that! I do recommend choosing one that “makes sense” for the other strings as it may peek through a bit between the knots if your tension isn’t perfect.
Sealing the Knots
One thing that people don’t always think of when making rag rug bracelets: the knots are too close to the end of the “tail” and can unravel!!
I sealed the entire back of my project with Mod Podge for durability. It stiffens the bracelet a bit, giving it more body than you might be used to with friendship bracelets.
I also chose to comb out the ends of my fringe for a classy and more polished look. Where I got mod podge too far on the fringe, it didn’t fray nicely. However, it really did give it such a cool finishing touch, filling the space better and contrasting beautifully with the knots.
Closing off the rag rug friendship bracelet
There are so many differnet ways you can close off a friendship bracelet, and I even have a whole post dedicated to teaching you how to start and finish a friendship bracelet.
For bracelets like this one, I hands-down prefer the ribbon crimp and clasp method.
For this one, I chose a gorgeous leaf toggle clasp (I couldn’t find the same online – but this set has the same look). It’s incomparable with simply knotted ends, making it look polished and professional. So much work goes into knotting bracelets. Adding a clasp like this really turns it into a “real” piece of jewelry and not just tween arm candy.
Rag Rug Friendship Bracelet Pattern & Step by Step Tutorial
Knots needed
There is only one knot used in this bracelet! That is the forward knot.
If you don’t yet know how to do it, learn how to make friendship bracelets from scratch.
Supplies
- Embroidery floss
- Detail Scissors
- Optional: mounting putty
- Very narrow paper tape
- Decent quality masking tape
- Ribbon crimps
- Pliers
- Clasp and jumprings
- Hot glue gun
- Mod Podge (matte or gloss)
- Flat paint brush
- Wire utility brush
Watch the YouTube video
Watch the full-length video on YouTube if you prefer to learn that way! Or scroll down for written instructions with photos.
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
1. Note: The photos in this tutorial starts with one row already done. Start by cutting your center strings. 18 inches will be generous. You can go with a wide variety of string counts, but I find that 5-6 center strings is a good “happy medium” for this – considering the fringe on the side.
Line up your strings at the top and tape them together.
Cut your running strings: you’ll need about 60-70 (so 10-12 each of six colors let’s say) and 6-8 inches long.
2. Note: I ALWAYS work “in the air” holding my bracelet in my hands. You might want to work on a clipboard or surface for this one even if you usually work like this but I will show you how to do it so that you can still do it in the air.
Take your first knotting string. Hold it against the first center string about an inch from the end of the knotting string. Your first knot’s position on the center strings doesn’t matter – you can slide it up!
3. Start with your first forward hitch. You’re totally holding it in position now – nothing is really knotted.
4. Create your second forward hitch to complete a forward knot and tighten it.
You should have about an inch of fringe on the left – or whatever you needed to work comfortably.
5. Gently slide that knot up to the top of your string – right below the previous row of knots or right below the tape if it’s your first row.
6. Now you can comfortably continue knotting forward knots around each of your center strings (remember, a forward knot is two forward hitches.) These will be much easier than the first one in the row.
7. Complete this process with a new string for each row. If you cut your knotting strings too long, you might get annoyed by the fringe – you can trim them back a little as you go along.
8. When your bracelet is long enough – taking into account the clasp – flip it over. Spread a thin, even layer of Mod Podge on the back, getting it into the edge of the knot but avoiding the fringe as much as you can.
9. To trim it evenly, line up a piece of washi tape in the width you want your fringe (go THIN) along the edge of your work, over the fringe. Do it as best as you can – it might not stick perfectly, but it’ll help guide you.
10. Flip it over so that you see the fringe and the real side, and straighten out the fringe as needed.
11. I recommend cutting from the “real” side, using the washi tape as a guide. This way, you can see what you’re doing and avoid the risk of ruining your bracelet.
12. Do this on both sides and remove the tape.
13. Take a wire brush and gently brush out the fringe to give it a more polished look.
Finish it off however you’d like – learn how to put a clasp on a friendship bracelet for a super polished look!
Your rag rug friendship bracelet is complete! Don’t you just love this pattern? Which is your favorite friendship bracelet to make? Comment below!
DIY Rag Rug Friendship Bracelets
Craft a rag rug friendship bracelet using this pattern and step by step tutorial!
Materials
- Embroidery floss
- Detail Scissors
- Optional: mounting putty
- Very narrow washi tape
- Decent quality masking tape
- Ribbon crimps
- Pliers
- Clasp and jumprings
- Hot glue gun
- Mod Podge (matte or gloss)
- Flat paint brush
- Wire utility brush
Instructions
1. Start by cutting your center strings. 18 inches will be generous. You can go with a wide variety of string counts, but I find that 5-6 center strings is a good "happy medium" for this - considering the fringe on the side.
Line up your strings at the top and tape them together.
Cut your running strings: you'll need about 60-70 (so 10-12 each of six colors let's say) and 6-8 inches long.
2. Note: I ALWAYS work "in the air" holding my bracelet in my hands. You might want to work on a clipboard or surface for this one even if you usually work like this but I will show you how to do it so that you can still do it in the air.
Take your first knotting string. Hold it against the first center string about an inch from the end of the knotting string. Your first knot's position on the center strings doesn't matter - you can slide it up!
3. Start with your first forward hitch. You're totally holding it in position now - nothing is really knotted.
4. Create your second forward hitch to complete a forward knot and tighten it.
You should have about an inch of fringe on the left - or whatever you needed to work comfortably.
5. Gently slide that knot up to the top of your string - right below the previous row of knots or right below the tape if it's your first row.
6. Now you can comfortably continue knotting forward knots around each of your center strings (remember, a forward knot is two forward hitches.) These will be much easier than the first one in the row.
7. Complete this process with a new string for each row. If you cut your knotting strings too long, you might get annoyed by the fringe - you can trim them back a little as you go along.
8. When your bracelet is long enough - taking into account the clasp - flip it over. Spread a thin, even layer of Mod Podge on the back, getting it into the edge of the knot but avoiding the fringe as much as you can.
9. To trim it evenly, line up a piece of washi tape in the width you want your fringe (go THIN) along the edge of your work, over the fringe. Do it as best as you can - it might not stick perfectly, but it'll help guide you.
10. Flip it over so that you see the fringe and the real side, and straighten out the fringe as needed.
11. I recommend cutting from the "real" side, using the washi tape as a guide. This way, you can see what you're doing and avoid the risk of ruining your bracelet.
12. Do this on both sides and remove the tape.
13. Take a wire brush and gently brush out the fringe to give it a more polished look.
Notes
One of the coolest perks of making rag rug friendship bracelets: you can use up your scraps!
I sealed the entire back of my project with Mod Podge for durability. It stiffens the bracelet a bit, giving it more body than you might be used to with friendship bracelets.
For bracelets like this one, I hands-down prefer the ribbon crimp and clasp method.
