How to Make Safety Pin Jewelry

SAFETY PIN BRACELET

Safety pin jewelry is once again making a comeback. It is easy to add a little punk rock flair to your look with a safety pin bracelet, and it costs next to nothing to make. Skip the store bought jewelry. Skip the ready to make kits, and head out to the nearest craft store with these simple instructions.

Instructions

1. Prepare your string. For this project, you will need stretchy, elastic string with a small enough diameter to fit through the holes of the safety pin. First, measure your wrist. You will want to cut two equal length pieces of elastic string that are long enough to go around your wrist. Keep in mind that that once the pins are strung, they will take up a good bit of room. You will want to make sure that the bracelet is big enough to stretch comfortably over your hand to sit on your wrist, since you will be tying off the string, not using a clasp. Err on the side of too loose rather than too tight. Safety pins digging into your skin is extremely uncomfortable. You can always remove pins and retie to make the bracelet smaller if needed.

2. Choose your pins. You can choose from a wide variety of pin sizes and colors. Silver pins work just fine, but you can choose funky colors and sizes as well. Craft stores now carry safety pins in all the colors of the rainbow. Very large or very small pins can also be used for a unique look. Just be sure that you adjust the string and bead sizes accordingly.

3. Choose your beads. The beads that you choose will need to be small enough to fit inside the closed safety pin. Also make sure that the bead holes are large enough to slide over the pin. For starters, try using medium size tube beads in one color. A standard size safety pin holds three medium tube beads so you will need about 150 for a 50 pin bracelet. If you like, you can add seed beads as accents between each tube bead.

4. Choose your design. Once you have chosen your design, bead all of the safety pins that you plan to use for your bracelet.

5. String your bracelet. Once all the pins have been beaded, it is time to string your bracelet. Use a clothes pin, small chip clip, bulldog clip, or binder clip to secure the elastic strings together at one end. String your pins one at a time. Push one elastic string through the loop at the bottom of the pin, and push the other through the hole on the fastener at the top. Alternate the pins so that the bracelet will come out evenly.

6. Continue stringing until you reach the desired length. Knot each string with its other end. Pull tight. Add a drop of super glue if desired for extra durability. Slide the pins over the knots so that they don't show. Now you're done.

Tips & Warnings

• Take your time in order to do the job right.

• Don't let small children help with this project.

• Never leave any safety pins or safety pin jewelry lying around. It could create a safety hazard for young children.