ICC#30- Shrinky Dink Woven Bracelet Tutorial

Our Iron Craft Challenge this week was HOT!  Everyone has been experiencing crazy hot summers (except us here in Seattle) so the goal was to channel this into our creativity.  I thought it would be fun to use heat in my technique, so I turned to my favorite little crafting medium, shrinky dink.  I wanted to do something different, so I experimented a bit and created this woven shrinky dink bracelet. 

I started by cutting out five squares of shrinky dink, about 2"x2." I have tiny wrists so you may need more squares.  I rounded the corners with a paper punch and then cut out lots of thin strips of shrinky dink that were a little shorter than the square.

Next, I used a craft blade to cut strips in the squares.  Leave space around the entire edge.  This was the tricky part.  It's not that easy to cut the strips through the shrinky dink so be careful not to cut yourself.  It's also possible to pull down too far and cut all the way down to the end of the square.

Now weave the strips through the squares in a normal weaving fashion.  I used only about five in each; when I tried to pack it too tightly I ended up ripping my squares.  It also ended up looking tidier if I trimmed the strips to line up right with the end of the slits.

Once the squares are woven, punch holes in all four corners.  Now, bake.  This is the fun part.  I recommend sitting in front of your oven in anticipation.

Now use jump rings to attach all the squares together.  Attach a clasp and a length of chain to the two ends to close it.  It would probably be easier to just have one hole punched in the middle of these two end squares, but I didn't plan ahead and made it work with two holes.  You can find what works for you and adjust it to fit your wrists.

Now wear it.  Ta-da!  Gorgeous.

Want to see more Iron Craft pieces?  Check out the flickr group here.  Want to join in the fun?  Check out the blog here.