An Embroidery Cord is a perfect reinforced band with customizable colors that can be used as a rope or a bracelet.
The Indian culture is very deep and intense. And I am not aware of a lot of the traditions since I was raised more American. But one holiday I was made aware of was Raksha Bandhan. This is a holiday celebrating the bond between siblings. It takes place in August typically, but my brother and I celebrate it whenever we can see each other since we don’t live that close together.
Celebrating this bond is even more important to me after losing my middle brother. While I’m still grieving, I want to make sure I celebrate the people who are still here. And on Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie Rakhi to their brother’s wrist. This symbolizes the protection of their loved ones (I have seen people tie Rakhi to people other than their siblings).
Rakhi can be made from basically anything and can be as elaborate or simple as you desire (or the recipient desires). I decided to use an embroidery cord for my Rakhi last year because I like how sturdy the cord is and how colorful they can be made.
Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in strings and things or more unlimited ideas.
Supplies
The only materials needed are embroidery threads. More threads will make a thicker cord and fewer threads will make a thinner cord. However, more threads means a larger apparatus to handle all of the threads. I decided to use three different colors, so I needed 12 threads (4 of each color).
The tool needed for this project is a Kumihimo disk. This helps keep the thread in place as the cord is being made. There are professionally made ones out of plastic, but I like going for the less expensive option.
I have a lot of cardboard in my house, and I thought I would be able to make the disk out of cardboard instead. This did work but the disk slowly broke down as I was making the embroidery cord. Depending on the type of cardboard used, the homemade option might only have a one-time use.
Process
Making the Kumihimo Disk
The first thing I wanted to do was make the Kumihimo disk. I did this by tracing a circle on the cardboard with a smaller circle on the inside to make a ring. Then I divided the circle into thirds. After that, I divided the thirds in half, and then the sixteenths in half again. I am only using 12 threads, but I wanted extra slots to work with.
Then it was time to cut everything out. I think this was the most nerve-wracking part. I have been known to be a little clumsy and precise cutting is not my forte. Luckily, the Kumihimo disk did not need to be the most precise. The slits were a little difficult because I didn’t want to leave jagged edges that could catch on the threads
Looking back, I think that using chipboard would have been a better choice than cardboard to make the Kumihimo. It would have been more stable; the density would provide less potential for the thread to catch. I probably would also have gotten more than one use out of it. Sometime to explore for next time!
The Embroidery Cord
Making the cord itself is simple but repetitive. I started by measuring out the thread of 3 different colors, making 4 strands of each. I knotted them at one end and placed the knot at the hole inside the Kumihimo. Then I distributed the threads among the slots. Since there are four threads of each color, two will go into neighboring slots and the other two will be mirrored on the other side of the disk.
I did this for all colors, making sure that at least one space existed between each set of threads. Making the thread pairs equidistant is probably the best approach as it makes the disk less crowded. But that’s just my feeling.
Then it’s time to make the embroidery cord! Orienting the disk so the “active” color is on top. I took the right thread of the top set and brought it down to the slot directly to the right of the bottom set. Then I brought the leftmost thread of the bottom set and brought it up to the left of the top set.
At the end of this movement, there should be two pairs of threads of the same color mirroring each other on the ring. The pairs will have moved counterclockwise about the ring. I then turned the ring counterclockwise and repeated the above step. And again. And again. I kept going until the cord was as long as long as I wanted.
Reflections
Making an Embroidery Cord is a very simple but tedious project. It is a great way to occupy your hands when doing something else (like watching TV). And it turned out simple but beautiful. I think my brother was happy to get this as his Rakhi. I am excited to use this embroidery cord in other projects as well!
Lessons
Why have a Ring in the Middle
The ring in the middle of the Kumihimo disk is very important because the center is where the cord is being made. And it needs to have somewhere to go. Without the ring, the cord would end up hitting the Kumihimo disk and go off in a direction that might interfere with the active threads.
Quick Recipe
Embroidery Cord
Equipment
- 1 Pair of Scissors
Ingredients
- 1 piece cardboard
- 4 pieces 10 inch Red Thread
- 4 pieces 10-inch Yellow Thread
- 4 pieces 10-inch Black Thread
Instructions
Kumihimo Disk
- Trace a large circle on a flat piece of cardboard. Trace a smaller circle inside so the ring has about 2-3 inches between the outer ring and the inner ring.
- Using a marker or other writing utensil, divide the ring into quarters. Then split the quarters by half, and then split the eights by half so all 16 points have been marked.
- Cut out both circles and cut small slit along the 16 points that have been marked.
Embroidery Cord
- Cut the thread to 10-inches or 1.75 times the desired length, four threads of each color, and knot all threads together at one end. Place the knot in the center of the Kumihimo Disk.
- Take two threads of one color and place them in neighboring slots. Take the final two threads of this color and place them on the opposite side of the first pair. Repeat with the other colors while keeping space between all pairs.
- Choose on color and position the Kumihimo disk so one set of that color is on top. Take the right most thread of the top pair and bring it down to the spot directly to the right of the bottom pair. Take the left most thread of the bottom pair and bring it up to the left most slot next to the thread on top.
- Turn the ring counterclockwise and repeat on the next color.
- Repeat the last two steps until the desire length is reach,
- Remove embroidery cord from the Kumihimo and tie a knot at the other end!
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