Kumihimo Bracelet or Watch Strap

Photos by Carmi Cimicata

Looking for an easy to make bracelet or watch strap design? Here's a beautiful Kumihimo option you can make in a single sitting!

Tools & Materials: Kumihimo Square Plate Kit, cord (Rattail cord, yarn or embroidery thread), ribbon clamps, glue, scissors, nylon jaw pliers, and a central piece (bezel or watch face)

The Flat Braid kit has easy to follow instructions; this flat braid design is known as a Anda-Gumi Braid. It's great for making bracelets! Here are some examples:

With bezel filled with handmade paper and clear resin:

With a metal finding:

By itself as a bracelet:

Just choose your colours to match your focal piece, and follow the instructions!

It's much easier to get an even braid if you attach a weight to the bottom of your strand to keep it from getting curved or uneven. There are lots of things you can use for a weight; a bag of pennies or even a heavy fishing lure.

Once you've gotten your braid to the right length, here's how to finish it:
If you just cut the cord, it would unravel faster than you could get all the ends into your clamp. So just draw a line of Hypo Cement in the area you plan to cut to make these sections stay together.

Once the glue dries, the end is stiff and goes into the clamp easily! It is really helpful to use a nylon jaw plier. This way you do not scratch your ribbon clamp when you close it.