This Rainbow Charm is made from embroidery thread and are great accessories as keychains or even earrings!
When I was traveling, I came across a rainbow charm that I really liked. Unfortunately, it belonged to someone else and not a store (so I couldn’t get one) and it was bigger than I would have wanted. And, as my natural response by now, I started to think about how I could make the version of it that I wanted.
I decided that this was a situation that called for embroidery thread. The core of this project was white embroidery thread which I found a little odd considering how colorful the result was. But using a decent amount of white embroidery thread really allowed me to get the end effects I wanted. It made sense.
This charm is cute. I am in love, but I did have some challenges when making it. I wanted to make one with more of a keychain vibe in mind, but I totally could see someone rocking these as earrings. Even if they are a little big for that.
Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in strings and things or more unlimited ideas.
Supplies
To make the rainbow charm, I only needed on material: embroidery thread. Okay, that’s not true but the project is 95% embroidery thread. I wanted to do the whole rainbow, so I gathered a slew of colors. For this project, I gathered the following materials:
- Embroidery thread: white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple
- Embroidery needle
- 1 Jump Ring
- 1 Keychain Clip
Process
Starting the Charm
The start of making this rainbow charm was more difficult that I anticipated. I had to figure out how to ground the project so that it wouldn’t move around. I used tape to start but it wasn’t the strongest material.
The first layer I wanted to do was the most inside layer. This helps dictate the size of the project and makes sure that the rainbow has a gap. I was worried that starting on the outside would squish the inside. And I didn’t want to run out of room.
To prep this layer, I laid out 6 pieces of white embroidery thread. The white thread is going to be the core each of my rainbow layers. I liked how the white could just stick out of the end and still create the finished look. The white threads stayed in a bunch while I knotted the purple thread around the bunch.
I did fold in the tail end of the purple charm into the center to keep it hidden. This also helps not having to manipulate it later and gives a cleaner look. Then it was time to tie the knot. I used my standard charm knot following the 4-shape knot method.
The first layer was the easiest as it is a straight knotting process with no extras added. The only thing I had to be cognizant of was the length. This would determine the size of the rest of the piece. I ended up making the purple about 1 ½ inches long. I probably should have gone smaller for a smaller charm, but I just did what felt right in the moment.
The Next Layer(s)
Then came the… interesting part. I had to find a way to connect the purple layer to the next blue layer. This was more of a challenge than I anticipated but less difficult than one might expect.
First, I laid out another 6 pieces of white thread. Or at least, I meant to. I wanted all the layers to be the same thickness but sometimes my brain just did not count properly. I really wish I could slow down sometimes.
Once I had the white thread, I folded the tail end that came from the purple into white thread as well. This put my new white bundle in parallel with the last layer. Finally, I folded the beginning tail of the blue into the bundle before creating the first knot on the blue layer.
The tail end of the purple will help hold the blue line in place at that end. But what about in the center? Every so often, I would thread the active thread into a needle and sew it through the corresponding area on the layer before. I started doing this ever ½ inch or so before realizing that created some bad gapping.
After noticing the gapping, I started to do the connections more frequently which made each level connect nicely and give a smooth look. The only tail end I had to weave into the project was the one coming off the very final layer.
Reflections
I thoroughly enjoyed making this project. More so than I anticipated. Contorting the charm in order to make it easier to knot the string was frustrating and fun. I wasn’t expecting to take the charm in so many different positions. And the tape was crucial for this project. I have no idea how I would have made this project if I didn’t have the tape to hold it in place.
The result is pretty too! Which is always a good bonus. I did fix up the large holes between the purple, blue, and green with some sewing but I think that the method I developed over the project worked out really well. The upper layers feel and look perfect.
Lessons
The Right Length
When doing these types of projects, it’s important to use the right length of thread. The white thread was the easiest to measure since it did not get shorter from knotting. The colored threads were a little more difficult to gauge. For the most part, I had enough thread. I was just perfect on orange. But I was very, and I mean very, short when it came to green.
So much so that I had to extend the thread. It’s important to know when this is going to happen because I use about 2 inches of thread of working room to attach another thread. Have I done it with less? Yes. Did I want to? Absolutely not.
In projects such as these, it is better to use excess material rather than be conservative. I wouldn’t go overboard but adding knots into a project about knots can cause quite a few headaches. And it’s better to avoid them all together when possible.
Quick Recipe
Rainbow Charm
Ingredients
- Embroidery Thread white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple
- Embroidery Needle
- 1 Jump Ring
- 1 Keychain Clip
Instructions
- Lay out 6 white strings that are approx. 2 inches each. Place a 4-inch purple thread parallel with these string with the end of the purple thread sitting in the center of the white thread. Fold the thread over and use the 4-shape knot method to create a knot around the white thread and purple tail. Continue to know along the white thread until the desired length is reached. Some of the white threads should be visible from both ends.
- Lay out 6 white strings that are approx. 2 ½ to 3 inches each. Thread a 6-inch blue string through the final knot of the purple strand. Place the blue thread parallel with the white string with the end of the blue thread sitting 1 inch off from the edge of the white string. Use the 4-shape knot method to create a knot around the new clump of white thread, the blue tail, and the purple tail. The white strands should match up where the white strands on the purple strands are (a little more of less is okay). Make about 1 cm to 2 cm of knots. Thread the blue thread through the corresponding spot on the purple strand. Make sure to have the purple in the final desired shape. Repeat until the blue reached the end of the purple strand. Thread blue thread one more time Through the purple strand.
- Repeat the above step for colors green (attached to blue), yellow (attached to green), orange (attached to yellow), and red (attached to orange). The white threads should increase by ½ to 1 inch for each layer, depending on the angle of the curve. The colors ed thread should increase by 2 inches (more might be needed).
- Sew in the last tail. Use a jump ring to thread through the top layer and attach a clip, beads are optional.
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