Bracelet Making Birthday Party

My host sisters and friend choose their
favorite colors for a bracelet.

I have had a large Ziploc bag full of embroidery thread for ages. I think my mom sent it to me shortly after I arrived in September of 2012. Needless to say, its been hanging around my hut for a while. Over the course of the last 12 months, I have had a variety of intentions and plans for its use. At first I thought I would save it so that when kids stopped by I could make bracelets with them, but then I remembered that I really didn’t want to encourage kids to stop by, they already did plenty of that on their own. Then I thought I would use it for a few library projects, but none of them ever happened. Just a few weeks ago I told a volunteer friend that I would give it all to her since I know that she makes bracelets with her Girls’ Club, but I couldn’t seem to part with it when the time came.

Well, I’m glad I am too selfish to share, because earlier today I finally put some of this thread to good use! It was my host sister’s 20^th birthday, and instead of just sitting around and doing nothing, I thought it would be fun if we all made friendship bracelets. Before I told them the plan, I picked out a few colors and practiced to see if I could still remember how to do it. Good news, thirty years later, I can still remember a few things from my childhood. I settled on the easier of the two methods that I could recall, and then walked out to the front yard to let them know that when they were finished with their laundry and other cleaning, that they should come by my house for a surprise birthday activity!

The finished products!

Later in the afternoon, all four of my host sisters that were home (two are off at school), came to the house to see what I had devised. I had all the thread laid out on my desk as well as a few sample bracelets. After showing them the finished product, I told them that they could pick five or six different colors to make their own. They were excited to choose their own schemes, and before long we cut the thread, I showed them the basic method, and they were off. Turns out I am really bad at estimating how much thread is needed, so they ended up with way too much, but no matter. They took the extra and just make more bracelets. This is a culture of no waste. Later that night, when we cut the cake to celebrate Philile’s birthday, each girl was wearing their design on their wrist; even my youngest host sister, Andile, who is only 5 years old had a small bracelet (it was made by one of the older girls.) We all agreed that making a bracelet would be a new birthday tradition in the family and they were looking forward to the next birthday at the end of March. I’m happy I resisted the temptation to toss that thread.