This safety pin bracelet is bright, beautiful, and so much fun to make! With just a few simple supplies (coloured seed beads, safety pins, and elastic cord) you can create unique bracelets that are full of colour and personality.
It’s a great craft for tweens, teens, and anyone who enjoys hands-on creativity. Customize your bracelet with your favourite colours, experiment with different patterns, and enjoy a project that’s both easy to make and stylish to wear!
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How to Make a Safety Pin Bracelet
Materials:
- Safety pins (1 inch)
- Seed beads (7 colours; 2mm)
- Elastic beading cord
Equipment:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Make the beaded safety pins
- You’ll need 80 to 90 safety pins to make your bracelet, as well as seed beads in a variety of colours.
- Open a safety pin.
- Add seed beads to the pin, filling it until there’s only a small bit left (just enough room to close the safety pin).
- Close the safety pin.
- Repeat with a different colour of beads.
- Then repeat with 4 other colours — or more, if you’d like.We decided to use 6 rainbow colours to create a patterned bracelet.
- Repeat, filling more pins with beads.You’ll need between 13 and 15 of each colour to make a rainbow bracelet.
Step 3: Thread the safety pins onto cord
- Cut a piece of elastic jewelry cord to be 10 inches long.
- Attach one of the pins (in your first colour — pink, for us) to the string, using the hole in the top of the pin.
- Add a second pin (in the same colour), using the circle at the bottom of the pin.It’s important to make sure the beads are facing the same way when you add each pin (for example, always facing up, or always facing down).
- Now switch to the second colour in your pattern (light orange, for us), and attach this one through the top of the pin.
- Add a second orange pin in the opposite direction. Then repeat, adding 2 of each colour in the pattern.
- Slide the rest of the pins onto the cord, continuing to repeat the pattern and alternating which side you add.
Step 4: Add another cord and finish the bracelet
- Cut another 10 inch piece of elastic jewelry cord.
- Slide the cord through the opposite side of the pins, attaching them one by one.
- Bring the cord ends together and tie in a triple or quadruple knot. Repeat with the second cord.
- Cut off the excess cord, near the knots.
- Your safety pin bracelet is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Watch for tight-closing safety pins: Some safety pins have a very small gap at the top, which can make it difficult to thread them onto the elastic cord. It’s best to sort through your pins first and set those ones aside for a different project.
- Choose the right size for your bracelet style: We used 1 inch safety pins for a classic look, but if you want a chunkier, bolder bracelet, try using larger pins for more impact.
How can I make an ombre beaded safety pin bracelet?
To make an ombre-style bracelet, you’ll follow the same steps as the rainbow version — the only difference is how you place the beads on each pin.
For the first half of the safety pins, start with light-coloured beads at the bottom, followed by medium in the middle, and finish with dark at the top. (We used 4 light beads, then 3 medium, and 3 dark.)
On the other half of the pins, reverse the order: begin with dark beads at the bottom, then medium, finishing with light at the top.
This mirrored layout allows the gradient to flow smoothly across the bracelet once the pins are strung onto the elastic, creating a beautiful ombre effect from end to end.
How many seed beads and safety pins do I need to make this DIY bracelet?
The exact number will depend on your wrist size, but in general you’ll need around 80 or 90 safety pins to make a full bracelet.
Each 1 inch safety pin holds between 8 and 10 seed beads (due to uneven bead sizes), so you’ll need between 640 and 900 seed beads in total.
This might sound like a lot, but don’t worry. You can often find safety pins at the dollar store and many reasonably priced bead kits include thousands of beads in a rainbow assortment of colours. The one linked here comes with over 15,000 beads in 24 colours, which is more than enough for lots of bracelets!
What’s the best cord for making a beaded safety pin bracelet?
We recommend using clear elastic beading cord for these bracelets. It’s stretchy, easy to put on and take off, and the clear cord blends in so you barely see it between the pins.
If you want a different look, you can also use hemp or waxed cotton cord — just make sure it’s thin enough to thread through the eyes of your safety pins. The cord we used was 0.7mm wide, which worked well with standard 1-inch pins. We don’t suggest going thicker unless you’re using larger pins.
If possible, test your cord with a few pins before buying it to make sure everything fits smoothly.
These safety pin bracelets are such a fun mix of creativity, colour, and hands-on crafting. Whether you’re making one as a simple afternoon activity or creating a whole stack to share with friends, this easy DIY is full of charm and possibilities.
It’s the perfect project for camp, parties, or even a quiet craft night at home — just like the classic bracelets many of us loved making as kids. With endless colour combos and simple supplies, every bracelet becomes a one-of-a-kind keepsake!
Here’s even more DIY jewelry craft ideas:
Now available
Low-Mess Crafts for Kids Book
72 cute and fun crafts that kids and parents alike can enjoy. All with as little mess as possible!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
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