20 Friendship Bracelet Patterns (+ Tutorial Videos)

There is something wonderfully timeless about friendship bracelets. Whether you discovered them at summer camp as a kid, spotted them on a celebrity’s wrist in a magazine, or stumbled across a gorgeous handmade version at a craft fair, the appeal is universal. These little woven treasures carry meaning far beyond their materials. They say “I was thinking of you.” They say “we belong to the same story.” And the best part? Anyone can make them, regardless of age or crafting experience.

In this guide, you will find 20 friendship bracelet patterns ranging from the simplest beginner designs to more ambitious projects that will keep experienced crafters happily occupied for hours. Each pattern comes with guidance on difficulty level, the materials you will need, and recommendations for tutorial videos so you can see every knot and technique in action before you start. Whether you are making one bracelet for your best friend or setting up a bracelet-making station at a birthday party, you will find exactly what you need right here.

Before diving into the patterns, let’s cover a few basics that will make your experience much smoother.

What You Need to Get Started

The core material for friendship bracelets is embroidery floss, also called embroidery thread. It is inexpensive, comes in hundreds of colors, and is easy to work with. You can find it at any craft store, big-box retailer, or online. A few other supplies worth having on hand include:

Scissors — a small, sharp pair works best for clean cuts.

Tape or a clipboard — you need to anchor your bracelet while you work. Tape it to a hard surface, clip it to a clipboard, or use a macramé board with pins.

A measuring tape or ruler — consistent thread lengths make a huge difference in your finished bracelet.

Beads or charms (optional) — some patterns incorporate beads for added texture and sparkle.

For most bracelets, you will cut your thread strands to about 60–80 inches (150–200 cm) before you begin. You can always trim the excess, but you cannot add length once you have started knotting, so it is better to err on the side of generosity.

The two foundational knots in friendship bracelet making are the forward knot and the backward knot. A forward knot moves thread from left to right, and a backward knot moves it from right to left. Nearly every pattern in this guide is built from combinations of these two movements, so take a few minutes to practice them before you dive into a full bracelet.

Now, let’s get into the patterns.

1. The Basic Striped Bracelet

This is the classic starting point and the pattern most people picture when they think of friendship bracelets. You use four to eight strands of embroidery floss in alternating colors, and by working forward knots across each row, you create clean diagonal stripes.

To make it: cut two strands of each color you want to use, fold them in half, and tie a knot at the top to create a loop. Tape or pin the loop down, separate your strands, and begin knotting the leftmost strand over each one to its right in sequence. When that strand reaches the far right, begin again from the left with the next strand. The pattern builds naturally.

This is an ideal first bracelet. The rhythm of the knots is meditative once you get going, and the result is always satisfying. Look up tutorials from channels like Macrame School or Hirerarchical on YouTube for clear step-by-step breakdowns of this pattern.

2. The Chevron (V-Shape) Pattern

The chevron is perhaps the most iconic friendship bracelet design. It creates a repeating V shape across the bracelet using both forward and backward knots working from the outer edges toward the center.

To set it up, you typically use eight strands arranged symmetrically — four on the left and four on the right, mirroring each other in color. The outermost left strand works its way to the center using forward knots, while the outermost right strand meets it at the center using backward knots. When the two meeting strands tie a forward-backward knot together at the center, the row is complete and a V is born.

Chevrons look impressive, but they are really not much harder than the basic stripe. Once you understand the mirror concept, the pattern clicks into place quickly. Search for “chevron friendship bracelet tutorial” on YouTube and you will find dozens of beautifully filmed walkthroughs.

3. The Diagonal Stripe Bracelet

Similar to the basic striped bracelet but with a twist, the diagonal stripe uses forward knots only and creates stripes that run diagonally rather than horizontally. Varying the number of strands per color group and mixing stripe widths lets you create everything from thin pinstripes to bold color-blocking.

This is a great second bracelet project because it builds directly on the skills you learned in the basic stripe pattern while introducing the idea of customizing stripe width.

4. The Candy Stripe Bracelet

The candy stripe is a variation of the diagonal pattern and one of the most cheerful-looking designs you can make. Use six to eight strands in bright, contrasting colors, and work forward knots in sequence to create that iconic spiraling candy-stripe effect.

Because of the spiral structure, candy stripe bracelets have a rounded, almost tubular appearance that looks a little different from the flat woven styles. They are incredibly fast to make once you get into the rhythm, making them a great option when you want to crank out several bracelets in one sitting.

5. The Chinese Staircase (Spiral) Bracelet

This one is a crowd favorite because it produces such a striking result with minimal effort. The Chinese staircase pattern uses one active strand that wraps around a bundle of filler strands repeatedly, creating a tight spiral that winds around the bracelet body.

Choose two to three filler colors and one active knotting color. Hold the filler strands together, then wrap and knot the active strand around them repeatedly until you have covered the desired length. Switch the active color partway through to create a multicolored spiral effect.

The Chinese staircase is an excellent pattern for younger crafters because it requires only one type of knot repeated over and over. Tutorial videos from creators like Claribel Gomez on YouTube explain the technique beautifully.

6. The Fishtail Bracelet

The fishtail pattern creates a textured, woven look that resembles the pattern found in fishtail braiding. Using four strands (two sets of two colors), you work alternating knots to build a tight, almost herringbone-like texture down the length of the bracelet.

This is a slightly more advanced beginner pattern but very approachable with a good video reference. The result looks complex enough to impress but is actually quite straightforward once you understand the alternating knot logic. It is an especially popular pattern for making bracelets that look like high-end woven accessories.

7. The Arrow Pattern

Arrow patterns point upward or downward in a repeating sequence and are made by combining forward and backward knots in a specific alternating structure. They share some DNA with the chevron but have a sharper, more angular look.

The key to a clean arrow pattern is keeping your tension consistent. Loose or uneven tension is the most common issue beginners encounter, and arrow patterns make it especially visible. Practice on a test piece before committing to your final color scheme.

8. The Diamond Pattern

The diamond friendship bracelet introduces the forward-backward knot and the backward-forward knot, which are the diagonal counterparts of the basic knot pair. These knots let you draw your thread at different angles, which is what creates the diamond shapes.

A typical diamond pattern uses eight to ten strands and builds diamonds out from the center, with negative space in a contrasting color forming the diamond outline. This pattern steps firmly into intermediate territory and is a satisfying skill-building project.

9. The Totem Pole (Vertical Stripe) Pattern

The totem pole pattern creates vertical stripes that run straight down the length of the bracelet rather than diagonally. The technique involves wrapping your strands rather than knotting them in the traditional sense, giving the finished bracelet a clean, structured appearance.

This pattern requires a bit of patience because the wrapping technique can feel fiddly at first, but the result is a really polished, professional-looking bracelet. It is particularly beautiful when done in three or four contrasting colors.

10. The Triple Chevron

Once you have mastered the standard chevron, the triple chevron is a natural next step. Using more strands (usually twelve to sixteen), you build three overlapping V shapes in each row instead of one. The resulting pattern is denser, wider, and absolutely stunning.

Triple chevrons look like something you might find on display at a craft fair. They take longer to complete than simpler patterns, but the results are genuinely impressive. This is a great “weekend project” if you enjoy the meditative pace of bracelet making.

11. The Ombre Friendship Bracelet

Ombre bracelets use color gradients to create a seamless fade from one color to another. To achieve this effect, you combine strands that shade from dark to light (or light to dark) within the same color family and use a chevron or diagonal stripe structure to let the colors blend naturally.

For best results, choose threads that fall in a clear gradient — for example, navy, cobalt, royal blue, sky blue, and pale blue. The more strands you use within the gradient, the smoother the ombre effect will be. These bracelets photograph beautifully and make a wonderful gift.

12. The Heart Pattern

Heart-patterned friendship bracelets are some of the most requested designs, especially around Valentine’s Day and for romantic gifts. The hearts are worked in a specific counted-knot technique where you plot the shape of a heart on a pattern grid and then execute each row of knots according to the grid.

This kind of pattern is where printed or digital pattern charts become very helpful. You essentially follow a pixel-map of the heart shape, knotting one color for the heart and another for the background. It takes concentration but the result is absolutely charming.

13. The Letter/Name Bracelet

Alpha or letter patterns let you spell out names, words, or initials on your bracelet using counted knot techniques similar to those used for the heart pattern. You plot letters on a grid and work them into the bracelet row by row.

Letter bracelets are deeply personal and make incredible gifts. They require a bit more time investment and a pattern chart for each letter, but the payoff when you see someone’s name woven into a bracelet is entirely worth it. There are many free alpha pattern generators and databases online, such as friendship-bracelets.net, where you can find charts for every letter of the alphabet.

14. The Zigzag Pattern

The zigzag is a playful, energetic pattern that creates a continuous back-and-forth line down the bracelet. Using alternating forward and backward knots in a deliberate sequence, you guide a central strand in a zigzag path between two contrasting background colors.

This pattern works especially well in high-contrast color combinations — think black and white, navy and yellow, or deep red and cream. It is an intermediate-level pattern that produces a striking visual result.

15. The Sunburst Pattern

The sunburst pattern creates a circular, radiating design by combining diagonal knot sequences that expand outward from a central point. It requires more strands than most patterns (often twelve to sixteen) and careful attention to the knotting sequence, placing it firmly in intermediate-to-advanced territory.

The sunburst is one of those patterns that makes people stop and say, “Wait, you made that yourself?” It is genuinely beautiful and makes an exceptional gift for someone special. Look for tutorial videos by creators who specialize in more intricate friendship bracelet designs — Bracelet Book on YouTube is a wonderful resource for this style.

16. The Kumihimo-Style Bracelet

Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese braiding technique, and while it technically differs from standard friendship bracelet knotting, it has become a popular crossover project in the friendship bracelet community. Using a kumihimo disk (an inexpensive foam tool) and eight or more strands, you rotate and loop strands in a specific pattern to create a beautifully braided rope-style bracelet.

These bracelets have a more structured, rope-like look compared to flat-woven styles. They are excellent for thicker thread materials or even thin yarn, giving you a chunkier, more substantial accessory. Many tutorial videos walk through the kumihimo method from scratch and the disk is widely available at craft stores.

17. The Macramé-Inspired Square Knot Bracelet

The square knot is the backbone of macramé, but it translates beautifully to bracelet making as well. Using four strands (two working strands and two filler strands), you tie alternating half-hitch knots to create a square knot bracelet that has a chunky, textural look completely different from traditional woven styles.

These bracelets are fantastic for thicker cords like waxed cotton or hemp, which gives them a more bohemian aesthetic. They also incorporate beads beautifully — slide a bead onto the center filler strands between knots for a quick and elegant embellishment.

18. The Braided Charm Bracelet

A simple three-strand braid can become a stunning bracelet when you incorporate charms, beads, or pendants into the design. String charms or beads onto individual strands before you begin braiding, positioning them so they appear at regular intervals as the braid develops.

This is a wonderful beginner-friendly project for younger crafters or anyone who wants a fast, satisfying result without learning complex knotting sequences. The charm bracelet style is also very on-trend right now, with layered, charm-heavy bracelets appearing on runways and in streetwear alike.

19. The Wave Pattern

The wave pattern creates a flowing, curved design that mimics the look of ocean waves rolling across the bracelet. It uses a combination of diagonal knot rows that alternate direction in carefully timed intervals, creating a gentle S-curve or wave shape in a contrasting color.

This is a beautiful pattern for blue and white color combinations, though it works in any palette. It sits at the intermediate level and requires following a written or visual pattern guide rather than working from memory, at least at first. Once you have made it a few times, the rhythm becomes intuitive.

20. The Boho Wrap Bracelet

The boho wrap bracelet is a project that combines multiple techniques — braiding, knotting, and bead stringing — into one long piece designed to wrap around the wrist two or three times. Using waxed cotton cord as a base and embroidery floss for knotted sections, you create a varied, textured bracelet that looks like a curated collection of smaller pieces all in one.

These bracelets are currently very popular in the handmade jewelry community and make beautiful gifts. They are also highly customizable — you can adjust the number of wraps, the bead colors, and the knotting sections to suit any aesthetic from beachy and casual to elegant and refined.

Tips for Making Friendship Bracelets That Last

However beautiful your bracelet looks when you finish it, a few simple practices will help it survive regular wear for much longer. Always finish your bracelet with a secure knot — a double overhand knot is reliable and holds well. If you want extra durability, add a tiny drop of clear fabric glue to the finishing knot and let it dry before trimming the excess thread.

When you are working, keep your tension even throughout the bracelet. Knots that are too loose will look sloppy and the bracelet will not hold its shape well. Knots that are too tight can cause the bracelet to curve or distort. Aim for firm, consistent tension — not strangling-tight, just secure.

Storing your thread on bobbins or in a thread organizer will prevent tangling and make color selection much easier. Many bracelet makers organize their floss by color family and number, which lets them recreate combinations they love and plan future projects more easily.

If you plan to give bracelets as gifts, consider finishing them with an adjustable closure rather than tied ends. An adjustable macramé-style sliding knot closure allows the recipient to put on and remove the bracelet without help, which most people deeply appreciate.

Where to Find More Patterns and Community Support

The friendship bracelet community online is warm, generous, and wonderfully active. A few excellent resources include friendship-bracelets.net, which has a massive searchable database of patterns and a forum where crafters share tips and projects. Pinterest is an endlessly inspiring source of pattern ideas and color combinations. Reddit’s r/FriendshipBracelets community is active and welcoming to crafters of all skill levels.

On YouTube, search for channels dedicated to friendship bracelets or macramé — you will find high-quality tutorial videos for every pattern listed above and hundreds more. Watching a technique performed in real time is often the fastest way to understand a knot or pattern that is not clicking from written instructions alone.

Final Thoughts

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