For this week’s Sunday Freebie, I’ve created a pattern for a creepy modern cameo bracelet featuring the head – or more specifically, the face – of a plastic doll.
The bracelet itself is crocheted, but if you don’t crochet, don’t worry – you can make the base and strap of the bracelet from some other material. I’ve even made a video to show you how to extract the face from the doll and get it ready for jewelrification (a word my son coined while I was working on this).
Materials
- Vintage plastic doll, roughly 8″ tall (a standard size)
- Scissors
- Needle nose pliers
- A drill
- A bowl of hot water with a few drops of dishwashing soap in it
- If crocheting: Black worsted weight yarn, a G hook, yarn in desired color for the trim (sport weight or worsted weight), a tapestry needle, an embroidery needle, thread, and a button
Doll Prep
Crochet Instructions for the Bracelet
Again, use a G hook. The cameo base is worked in the round without joining rows.
BASE (worsted weight black yarn)
MR5 or ch 2, sc 5 in 2nd st from hook
1. 2sc each (10 total)
2. (Sc next, 2sc next) x5 (15 total)
3. 4sc next, sc next 5, 4sc next, sc next 8 (21 total)
4. 3sc next, sc next 8, 3sc next, sc next 11 (25 total)
5. Sl st and F/O
BORDER (desired color, worsted or sport weight)
You can use either a sport weight yarn (red example above) or a worsted weight yarn (blue example above) for the yarn.
Join yarn. (3DC next, sl st next) around, if using sport weight yarn, or (3sc next, sl st next) if using worsted weight. Join with final (add’l) sl st to beginning of border. F/O.
STRAPS (black)
I designed this bracelet to have a button closure. I do a lot of typing during the day, however, which makes a button closure on the underside of my wrist almost as uncomfortable as a wedgie with wet undies, 50 miles from home. To avoid that sort of discomfort, I placed my button closer on the side of my wrist. If you prefer, you can make the bracelet with the button under the wrist.
Side closure
Under-the-Wrist Closure
Side A: Join yarn to side of cameo, ch 9 (for side closure) or ch 18 (for under-the-wrist closure). DC into 4th st from hook, DC to end and join to cameo with sl st. F/O.
Side B: Join yarn to opposite side of cameo, ch 15 and test the length of side B on your wrist. Side B should ultimately overlap Side A by at least 2DCs. If it doesn’t, keep going until it does, keeping in mind that you will DC into 4th ch from hook, which is to say, you will lose a bit from the current length of your chain. Got the length sorted? Great! DC into 4th ch from hook. DC to end and join to cameo with sl st. F/O. Weave in ends.
Test the bracelet on your wrist. It doesn’t matter whether Side A is on top or Side B is on top. The button will fit into any gap in the DC. Note where the button should go to give you the most comfortable fit, and then sew the button in place.
Test the bracelet one last time. It works? Fantastic!
Cut a length of black yarn. Position the head on the bracelet and sew the head in place using your tapestry needle.
Wear the bracelet everywhere.
