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Need a little inspiration for your next friendship bracelet project? Check out this list of the very best friendship bracelet patterns for beginners. You’ll find all sorts of fun and easy designs, like the chevron friendship bracelet pattern, a simple braid, the candy stripe friendship bracelet, and so much more.
Keep reading to see all of the different patterns, plus lots of tips for making fun friendship bracelets.
Making friendship bracelets is practically a rite of passage! It’s one of those nostalgic activities that we all remember from our days at summer camp.
Friendship bracelets are the perfect easy craft – all you need to get started is some colorful embroidery floss and a pattern! I love that friendship bracelets are portable, too – just attach them to your jeans with a safety pin, and you can tie them while you ride along on a summer road trip.
Plus, a sophisticated friendship bracelet makes a great gift for your best friends.
To inspire your next creation, I’ve rounded up my favorite beginner-friendly friendship bracelet patterns. These free and easy patterns will show you how to make all sorts of cool designs, including 3 strand braids, diagonal stripes, chevrons, spiral staircases, zipper bracelets, and more!
How to Make Friendship Bracelets
If you are new to making friendship bracelets, you may be wondering where to start. If so, check out this How to Make Friendship Bracelets guide. This beginner guide will walk you through your first friendship bracelet from the first knot to the last.
Bracelet Making Supplies
You don’t need many materials to make friendship bracelets – just a few different colors of thread or embroidery floss. Here is a list of my recommended friendship bracelet supplies. And if you need help picking out your colors of embroidery threads, check out this guide to friendship bracelet color ideas.
You’ll also need to set up your work area with enough space to work. I like to tie my bracelets on a flat surface, like a tabletop or clipboard. You can also attach the large knot at the top of the bracelet to your jeans with a safety pin.
How to Read Patterns
Friendship bracelets are made by tying simple knots on strands of floss. If you haven’t made bracelets in a while, it’s a good idea to review how to tie the basic knots, like the forward knot and the backward knot.
Then, if you need help reading any of the patterns, including how to decipher a pattern chart, check out this article: How to Read Friendship Bracelet Patterns.
Easy Friendship Bracelet Patterns
Ready to make your own friendship bracelets? Grab your floss, and let’s get started. I’ll start with the easiest friendship bracelets made with only two strings. After that, we’ll work our way up to bracelets made with more stands, like the chevron pattern and diamond pattern.
19 Easy Friendship Bracelet Patterns for Beginners
A collection of the very best friendship bracelet patterns for beginners. You'll find all sorts of different patterns, like chevrons, braids, stripes, hearts, and so much more.
1
Alternating Knots Bracelet
Photo Credit:sarahmaker.com
This is the simplest friendship bracelet I know. It’s made with only two colors of string, and it’s a great way to practice your hitch knots.
2
Zipper Bracelet
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/265903_may26/
This easy pattern is made from 3 strings - two outer strings and one base string. Alternate tying knots with the outer string around the base string to give this bracelet design a zipper "look".
You can use embroidery floss or thicker hemp or yarn for a chunkier look.
3
Three Strand Braid
Photo Credit:www.animatedknots.com
You can't go wrong with a basic 3-strand braided bracelet. This is a great way to use up smaller pieces of string that you may have left over from other bracelet projects.
4
Spiral Staircase Friendship Bracelet
Photo Credit:www.instructables.com
This spiral bracelet, also called a Chinese Staircase bracelet, is very simple to make.
You only need to know one simple knot to make it: the forward knot.
Customize your own bracelet design with as many colors of thread as you like.
5
Candy Stripe Friendship Bracelet
Learn how to make the Candy Stripe friendship pattern with this easy-to-memorize pattern. Make a bracelet with 4-8 strings. A perfect craft project for beginners.
Designer: Sarah Maker
6
Skinny Chevron
Photo Credit:www.braceletbook.com
Here's a skinnier version of the classic chevron bracelet. It's made with only 4 strings, so it will work up quickly.
7
5 Strand Flat Braid
Photo Credit:sarahmaker.com
This is a very easy pattern for a five-strand braided bracelet. Once you get the hang of it, you can make this bracelet in no time at all. Don't be afraid to double up the strands for a thicker bracelet.
8
Zig Zag Friendship Bracelet
Photo Credit:sarahmaker.com
This pattern is so unique! Even though it looks complicated, it's made with the same four basic bracelet knots.
The end result is a 3D-shaped zig-zag bracelet that looks so cool on your wrist!
9
Chain Link Bracelet
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/169880_Mushroomro/
Here's another easy bracelet with a fun 3D effect. The way the knots are constructed creates an open design that's really unique!
10
Arrowhead Diamond Pattern
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/139108_waffie/
Here's an arrowhead-inspired pattern made with only 6 strands. You can customize this design with lots of different color combinations.
11
Chevron Friendship Bracelet Pattern
Here's how to make the classic Chevron pattern friendship bracelet with an easy-to-follow, step-by-step photo tutorial. It's the perfect pattern for beginners to practice both forward and backward knots.
Designer: Sarah Maker
12
Daisy Chain Bracelet
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/122137_ijbeaudry/
This design is super popular, and it's easy to see why. I love the look of the flower chain! You can customize this bracelet in lots of fun color combinations, too.
13
Rainbow Zig Zag Pattern
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/277336_alexakatie/
Here's a fun retro design with a diagonal, zig-zag pattern. I love the look of a rainbow color scheme with this pattern.
14
Watermelon Bracelet Pattern
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/290683_Alex_tree/
A classic that's just right for summer. This fruity twist on the classic zig-zag is so cute!
15
Diamond Friendship Bracelet Pattern
Even though this diamond and X's bracelet pattern looks complicated, it's actually pretty simple to make. Give it a try!
16
Ocean Wave Bracelet Pattern
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/272711_Luise2108/
For a beachy bracelet, try this white and blue wave design. It's the perfect pattern to make by the ocean!
17
Heart Friendship Bracelet
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/283906_ts3dancer/
Show your friends how much you love them with this sweetheart bracelet pattern. It would make a great Valentine's Day gift too, don't you think?
18
Arrowhead Bracelet Pattern
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/191860_cuckoclock/
Here's another variation on the arrowhead pattern made with 8 strands of floss. I like this pattern because it has a really deep V shape that really stands out.
19
3D Ribbon Zig Zag Bracelet
Photo Credit:https://www.braceletbook.com/users/184243_crdyer/
The trick to this bracelet is selecting a color scheme that highlights the 3D ribbon effect. Choose colors in a ombre range of shades.
More Bracelet Ideas
For even more DIY jewelry ideas, check out these related tutorials:
- How to Make Stretchy Beaded Bracelets with Elastic Cord
- How to Make Polymer Clay Earrings
- How to Make Friendship Bracelets
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Sarah Stearns Founder and Editor
Sarah Stearns has helped millions of makers find their next craft project with free patterns and step-by-step tutorials on her blog, sarahmaker.com. Read more.
With over a decade of experience in knitting and crochet, she has been featured in prominent publications like The New York Times, Scientific American, Good Housekeeping, Vox, Apartment Therapy, and Lifehacker.
