one button tutorial part 4 anchor the infill cords

Anchor the infill cords:
Work the infill cords into position as tightly as possible against the folded framing cord.

Place a needle as close as you can to hold everything parallel. Make sure the softer cords are not lost under the others.

Hint: line up the cords by pressing them into place against the mold with your thumb. Work the temporary holding needle through each cord.

Use the original needle and nylon thread to secure the infill cords. Carefully pass the needle through the edge of the framing cord and then the infill cords. Hold the needle at 90 degrees to intersect the cords. Draw the thread through carefully.

Check to be sure you have threaded all the cords together on the first pass. Try to thread through the center of each cord if possible. This will anchor the entire group of infill cords.

Another view of the all-important first pass of edge stitching. Reposition the infill cords as needed to anchor them securely.

Hint: A small pair of pliers is useful for handling the needles during the edge-stitching operation.

Pull on the nylon thread to squeeze the cords together as shown. Check to see that all the cords have been captured by the first two passes. If not...Remove the thread and try again!



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design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

one button tutorial part 3 placing infill cord

Placing the infill cords in the framing cord loop.

Have a look in your scrap bin and find some cord segments with a pleasing color range. We are using a mix of natural white and grey cotton cable cord for this example.

You can use just about anything you may have including fabric scraps, or other bits of stuff. You may also use beads and other objects but we won't cover that in this tutorial.

Spread the framing cords apart on the mold.  Double the infill cords and position the loops as shown on the mold. Cords should be relaxed and even. Each should be long enough to wrap completely around to the other end of framing cord.

Insert a long needle to hold the cord loops in place. Anchor the needle in the framework cord on either side.

You may add or subtract cord segments to get the pattern and color you need.

Roll the mold forward and lay out the cords evenly all the way around to the other end of the framing cords.

Keep the cords relaxed but even.

If you want to add small segments of accent color cords you may do so now. Anchor these with more temporary needles as required to hold them in place.

Place as many temporary needles as needed to position the infill cords and maintain an even tension. These will be removed as the bracelet is edge stitched together.

Hint: dont worry about the position of the temporary needles as long as they are placed perpendicular to the framing cords.

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design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

one button tutorial part 2 placing the button

Stitch across the folded cords several times. Keep the cord even and the stitching firm.

Lay out the loop you just created on the PVC mold to find out where the button needs to be located. Allow some slack (don't make it too snug).

Attach the button:

Pass the nylon thread up through the folded cord and place through the button holes, then back down through the fold.

Add 3-4 passes of thread to the button. Leave about 1/8" gap between the button and the folded cord to allow room for the loop to fit.


Pass the needle sideways through the folded cord on the last move so it near the inside end of the folded cords. Later you will use this to bind the infill cords using the edge-stitching technique.

Place the completed loop on the mold and position on the button as shown. The loop should fit loosely on the mold. The nylon thread should be near the top of the loop as shown.

Hint: It's a good idea to pre-measure the loop size before you place the button and make any adjustments before stitching the button in place.


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design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

one button tutorial part 1 framework loop and toggle 2626

 This tutorial shows how to make a simple one button rope bracelet out of clothesline and cotton cord.

The photo shows the completed bracelet with the heavier framing cords on the outside edge and the white and grey infill cord in the center.

This tutorial is presented in 7 parts, navigation buttons at the bottom of this page. To see pre-made bracelets similar to this design please visit my Etsy shop.




Materials needed: PVC pipe coupling (used as a mold), 16" of 3/8" clothesline cord, 48" nylon thread and needle, plastic button, a bundle of cotton cord (infill material)

Tools needed: small pliers, diagonal wire cutter, two nylon cable ties, crochet hook or chop stick.

Step one:
Create the framework cord and place the button:

Match the clothesline cord ends and place a few stitches across the cord to secure the ends. Keep the ends even as shown.

 Fold the cord back about 3/4" and bind with more cross stitching. Draw up the stitching to compress the cord ends together.


Hint: using a waxed thread makes it easy to tension the thread as the wax creates friction within the cord thus holding it in place.

Place 4 or 5 cross stitches in the folded cord and draw up securely.




                             part 2 >

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

extra wide beaded cotton cuff 2628

  All cotton extra wide beaded cuff assembled from braided cord, cable cord and lots of glass beads. The assembly process for this design involves making the two fabric sides separately and later joining them together with the big beads in the center seam.

The bigger beads are a variety of colors and shapes recalling a beach full of smooth stones. The small beads are like bubbles in the fabric.

  There are only two small buttons and loops which leaves plenty of space for a little "coastline" of beads along the ends. These are stitched on after the big pieces of the bracelet have been put together.

The tensioned nylon binding thread holds the shape of this cuff and gives it some flexibility.

This one is 3 1/4" (83 mm) wide but only 1 1/8" (183 mm) inside circumference giving it a nice long proportion.

                    Available here.

more of these in the fiber art section of my Etsy shop

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

stitch up tutorial part 3

Place a double overhand knot in the thread and cinch it up tight. This secures the cords so they don't come undone later.

 Trim off the excess thread using a heavy shear or wire cutter. Leave a 1/16" tail on the knot.

When you are finished the cords should be tightly bound together by the thread.

Trim off the cords using a wire cutter or scissor. Trim as close the weave as possible without damaging the other cords.

Here you can see the trimmed cord ends. The stitching is on the inside of the bracelet hidden from view. The cord ends will fray slightly causing them to be less noticeable.


After trimming the cords you may re-shape the bracelet by placing it over a bottle or other cylindrical object and evening the alignment of the cords.

Here's the finished product after having been shaped and stretched.




< back to part 2

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

stitch up tutorial part 2

  Make another pass with the needle and thread across the cords as shown. Space the stitching out so the cross threads cover the whole area of the parallel cords.

 Now there are three passes of thread securing the cords in place. Draw the thread through the cords and pull firmly to bind the cords together.

 Reverse the needle and place a fourth pass diagonally through the cords so the needle emerges near the origin point.

Pull firmly to tighten the thread.

This shows the stitching complete with the two pieces of thread drawn through the cords ready to tie off.






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design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

stitch up tutorial part 1

 In this tutorial the process of securing the loose ends of a multi-strand turks head knot will be demonstrated.

You will need a #6 needle with 18" of high strength thread. Carpet thread or other heavy duty material will work best.

This photo shows the completed knot turned partially inside out to expose the overlapping cords. Make sure the cords are arranged even and parallel as in the example.

 Using the sewing needle and high strength thread push the needle through the parallel strands of the knot cord at a 90 degree angle as shown.

You may find it helpful to use a pliers to handle the needle as the cord may be rather dense and resist the passage of the needle.

 Draw the thread through the cords leaving about 1" or so. This loose end will be used later to tie off the thread.

 Push the needle back through the strands  parallel to the first pass.

This photo shows the first two passes of the needle with the thread loop left slack for clarity.






                              go forward to part 2 > 

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

one button beaded cuff red and tan earth tones 2618

 All cotton cord of various textures from the braided clothesline cord, the traditional cotton cable cord, and a loose braided cotton are used to build this warm earth-tone color combination. Like the other bracelets in this series the materials are all from the scrap (er...resource!) box. These days I have to battle the cat for possession as he thinks this is a box of cat-toys.

The construction technique is shown starting with part one of a seven part tutorial.

 Two offset rows of glass beads are worked into the pattern a dark purple alongside the brown cords and the brighter red in the center of the red cords.

Size is a medium 7 1/2" (191 mm)

Construction is typical edge stitching using the four ply nylon thread and compressing the cords to make the firm but flexible fabric. A brown plastic button connects to the stirrup loop for a simple closure.

Find this bracelet listed here and more in the fiber art design section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

See other one-button designs here:
simple one button rope bracelet 2577
black and blue one button rope bracelet 2616
blue grey one button rope bracelet 2615
seaweed one button rope bracelet 2611



design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Placing the center strand tutorial part 3

 Continue the placement of the center cord all the way to the end.

The end is the place where the two outer strands meet.

In this photo the fid is approaching the end of the white outer strand. Pull it through all the way and remove the fid.

 Flip the knot over 180 degrees and re-attach the fid to the other long loose end of the center cord.

Place the fid between the two outer strands and draw the cord through to the opposite side in exactly the same way as before. Keep the cord in the center, no twisting, relaxed tension...

 Here you can see the path of the cord across the the knot following the center gap. In the photo the loops have been left slack to illustrate the overlapping pattern.

Continue to place the cord until all the crossings are populated and the colored cord arrives at the end of the white outer strand.

Here the placement is complete and you can see the parallel layout of the cords marked in red. Hide the overlap underneath one of the parts. Keep the cords side-by-side to facilitate the stitching together of the strands.

To see how the ends are kept from fraying and falling apart check out the stitch up tutorial

< back to part 2

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Placing the center strand tutorial part 2

 Follow the center channel around the knot using the fid to place the cord between the two outside cords.

Don't cross over any cords, keep the center cord in the center between the two outer strands at all times.

 Place the cord and pull through to the opposite side. Keep the center cord as straight as possible try not to let it get twisted during the draw-through.

Leave the center cord relaxed, that is don't make it tighter than the outer cords. The whole bracelet will naturally tighten up as the voids in the weave are filled with cord.

Continue following the outer strands around the knot. Place the center cord between the outer strands but leave it in a relaxed (not tight) condition.

Here the loop is shown slack for clarity.


< go back to part 1      go forward to part 3 >


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Placing the center strand tutorial part 1

This tutorial shows how to place a contrasting center cord in a turks head knot. Here are things you will need:

48" of contrasting color cord

pre-made Turks Head Knot bracelet - this example is a 12 bight x 5 part x 2 strand knot left in a relaxed shape  - read about how to make a rope bracelet here

wood fid - custom made out of 3/8" dowel
(If you don't have a fid you can use a ball point pen with a bit of tape over the tip to prevent ink stains.)

 Place the fid on the end of the center cord.

Find the end of the turks head knot and count 2 1/2 times around the circumference to locate the center. (5 parts divided in half = 2 1/2)

How do you know how many parts your knot has? Read Decoding the Knot to find out

Insert the fid in the center of the knot as shown. Spread the outer strands using the fid to create a path for the center strand.

Draw the cord through the knot at the center point of the turks head knot until an equal amount of center cord is on both sides.




                                    go on to part 2 >

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

seaweed one button rope bracelet 2611

 The title suggests the inspiration: That bright colored stuff clinging to the bottom of the floats and half submerged rocks. Often seen through a few inches of seawater the color is filtered. This one button bracelet is made from all cotton materials found in my leftover scrap-box.

The framing cord is a white cotton braid but everything else is that rope-like twisted cable cord. Adds an interesting textured diagonal pattern to the fabric.

 The color mix is white with green, grey, and blue. The cotton cord takes the dye in a more subtle way so the colors tend to be muted almost pastel in quality. The grey warms up next to the cool greens and creates a nice simultaneous contrast that adds some energy but doesn't knock your eyes out.

The construction technique is shown starting with part one of a seven part tutorial.

Here's another one like this:
simple one button rope bracelet 2577

The edge binding squeezes this one into a narrow 7/8" (23 mm) width, not too big!

                         Available here


Take a look in the fiber art design section of my Etsy shop to see this design as well as some other bigger and wilder variations.


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

blue grey one button rope bracelet 2615

 Another mostly synthetic scrap-box creation this time in lighter colors.

Outer cord is a bright white nylon, an ecru cotton cord sets off the inner light blue cords and there is a single (very subtle) center strand of green.

Mold size was 7 1/2" finished size about 7 1/4" (183 mm) inside circumference)

The construction technique is shown starting with part one of a seven part tutorial.

 Here you can see the color progression clearly. This is a narrow 7/8" (17 mm) width.

The synthetic materials are low friction compared to the cotton cord which makes the edge binding process much easier. The needle slides through the cords more easily resulting in fewer stab wounds.

A couple of other one button examples here:
simple one button rope bracelet 2577
black and blue one button rope bracelet 2616

Here you can see how the outer framing cord makes the button loop. The binding process squeezes the cords sideways and care must be taken to leave enough slack so the loop will disengage the button. The slippery nylon helps make it easier to pop the button out of the loop as well.               Available here.

         Etsy shop design section here.

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop