For me, the focus last year's Raksha Bandhan tryking to keep both kids were awake for the ceremony. This year, I'm really looking for ways to make the holiday more memorable for both kids and adults.
The first thing I thought of were DIY Rakhi's. I make them every year but this time I wanted to involve Amaani.
Nowadays, Rakhis are easily and cheaply bought where I live. Even still making your own Rakhi's is a great opportunity to talk with your kids about the meaning of the holiday.
These Rakhis are made of cotton embroidery floss, making them color fast, sturdy and – most importantly for the littlest ones- comfortable to wear. Children will want to wear them for longer as you can make them in any color they want and they don't have flowers or beads.
Supplies:
Embroidery Floss:
Embroidery floss comes in hundreds of colors and is easy to find at any craft store or even Walmart.
See if you can find out the recipients favorite colors or school colors and
match them! Each bundle of thread is about a quarter, so this is a very inexpensive project.
Scissors— be careful to keep
these out of reach of your little ones. Even safety scissors will work for this
project.
Let's Get Started
Since there isn't any braiding, this method for making Rakhi's is great for involving even the littlest ones. First, get your 'assistant' in from the yard.
Cut a 24 inch
length of floss from 3 different colors.
Combine and knot the strings so they are easier to hold.
Hold one end of the strings,
and have your helper hold the other. If you don’t have a (reliable) helper, you
can tape the ends down to a table or counter to allow you to hold them
taut.
Then twist! Either you or
your helper rotate the strings.
You can see the colors
getting closer and closer together.
Keep going until the string
begins to kink slightly
Then, bring both ends
together and watch the magic happen!
The cord will twist on
itself. Use your hands to gently smooth out the kinks.
I like to knot both ends and trim them so they are even with each other.
And you are finished!
You can use any number of colors for this-- as long as you have at least two strands of floss. Although the bright colors in the rakhi above are pretty, I love the look of monochrome rakhis.
You can use any number of colors for this-- as long as you have at least two strands of floss. Although the bright colors in the rakhi above are pretty, I love the look of monochrome rakhis.
This one is in different shades of blue.
And of course, the traditional red. This one is made with two slightly different shades of red to give it a bit more depth.
And I had to make one for my daughter as well-- in pink!
Both kids were asking to wear these by the time I was finished taking the pictures! I hope that you give making your own rakhi a try!
If this tutorial is helpful or if you have questions- consider leaving a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
If this tutorial is helpful or if you have questions- consider leaving a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
we might have to start mailing the rakhis :(
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing. I can't wait to try this with my daughter next year. I remember making friendship bracelets as a kid and it was so much fun. I've included your link in our post about Rahsha Bandhan. ttp://theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2012/08/happy-raksha-bandhan.html?showComment=1344201545213#c6741568477639329093
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you liked it! thanks for linking up!
DeleteSo do you just tie it on like a friendship bracelet?
ReplyDeleteYup, right around the wrist. Traditionally, a rakhi only goes on the right hand wrist. I'll update this post a link to pictures our our ceremony when it goes up on Friday!
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