These stretchy Morse code bracelets are easy to make and fun to customize! Made from seed beads and stretchy cord. Make a stack to wear today!
You might also like our easy friendship bracelets, our acrylic dog tag necklaces, or our rainbow yarn keychains! Click here for all of my YW camp craft ideas!
Watch our step by step video!
Morse code bracelets are so cute and colorful. The girls at church wanted a boot camp theme for Young Women camp this year so we are making Morse code bracelets and stamped dog tag necklaces for our two main crafts.
These bracelets are easy to make and come together quickly! With just a few supplies you’ll be on your way. I made sure to buy plenty of boxes of beads so that every girl could go home with a stack of bracelets. These make great gifts, too!
The ones that I have spell out LOVE, SHINE, and CREATE.
There are many ways to make Morse code bracelets, but I think this way is the easiest. Stretchy cording and seed beads. Simple, simple, simple.
DIY Morse Code Bracelet Supplies
(Scroll to the end of the post for a step-by-step tutorial, and make sure to watch our video for the best visual tutorial.)
3mm Seed Beads
You can use any kind of bead that you’d like, but I love these cute seed beads. They come in 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm. I used the 3mm size.
Tip: If you’re making these with a group, and need to make calculations on how many boxes to buy, you’ll need 13 beads for every inch of the bracelet. I calculated that the average bracelet is around 7″ long so I’d need about 100 beads per bracelet. Each box has around 8000 beads so each box will make 80 bracelets, assuming every color is used evenly. I bought a couple of extra boxes of beads to make sure we had lots of every color.
Stretch Cording
Not all stretch cording is made equal. I like Stretch Magic because it’s easy to tie and the knots stay well. It’s also super stretchy, much better than the free rolls that sometimes come with beads. You can use the  0.5mm or 0.7mm thickness.
Tip for cutting the right length: Measure around your wrist and add 12″. You can also cut an 18″ piece, which is a great all-around length with plenty of room to string the beads and secure the ends in a knot. Simply cut the extra off later.
(Source: Radio Society of Great Britain)
Morse Code Chart
This chart prints 4 to a page and comes in very handy! Click here to print.
Additional Supplies
Scissors, masking tape, clear nail polish, or E6000 glue.
How To Use Beads for Morse Code
Morse code is made up of dots and dashes and there are so many ways to create messages using beads. Here are the two that I came up with:
1: In the top photo, I used single beads for the dots and double beads for the dashes. The dots and dashes were all the same color (blue) and I separated each character with a white bead.
2: In the second photo, I used two different colors. 1 blue bead for each dot and 3 green beads for each dash. I separated each letter with a white bead.
Whatever you do, just make sure to be consistent. That’s the trick to being able to decipher the letters later on.
DIY Stretchy Morse Code Bracelets Tutorial
Stretchy Morse Code Bracelets
Equipment
- scissors
Materials
- Morse code chart (click to print)
- 18" piece 0.7mm Stretch Magic Cord
- 3 mm seed beads
- masking tape
- clear nail polish or E6000 glue
Instructions
- Print off the Morse code chart (it prints 4 to a page so it's great to use for group crafts).
- You can use any kind of bead that you'd like. I like 3mm seed beads.
- There are quite a few ways that you can create your Morse code pattern: You can use a single bead for the dots and double beads for the dashes with a contrasting bead as a spacer in between each character.Another way is to select two colors and use one color for the dots and the second color for the dashes with a spacer bead between each letter instead of each character.Whatever you choose to do, just make sure that you are consistent.
- Cut an 18" piece of Stretch Magic clear elastic cording. Tape the left end to your work surface with a piece of masking tape.String the beads onto the cording.Once you've finished spelling out your word, add beads on both sides until desired bracelet size is achieved.
- Tie a few knots to secure the bracelet. There are many ways to do this. You can watch my video for a better visual on how I tie my knot. Secure the knot with a dab of clear nail polish or glue and let dry.
- Continue to make bracelets until you have a colorful stack to wear!
Video
Notes
- Give each person a paper plate to work on. If the beads spill they won't go all over the table or floor.
- 18" is a good all-around length for the stretchy cording. You can also measure around your wrist and add 12". This allows for plenty of wiggle room to string the beads and tie a knot.
- Use nail polish to secure the knot (it dries faster than glue).
- Have index cards and paper out so that they can lay out their beads before stringing them (optional).
- Have an adult tie the knots if making these with tweens.
Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!
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