DIY Baker's Twine

Okay, this may be one of the most clever ideas I've seen yet! When I saw this post on how to make your own baker's twine by The Frugal Crafter via Ucreate, I'm pretty sure I squealed in delight. This is one of those times that it's a good thing that Hobby Lobby isn't open 24 hours, otherwise I would've gone right away to get the supplies to do this. (updated to add: turns out they sell this type of crochet cotton at my Wal-Mart, so I could've had my instant craftification fix after all!)

I believe UKmaryanne gets the original credit for this idea, and she made this wonderful video tutorial showing how simple it is.


I know not everyone can watch videos, so I'll share a tutorial for how I made this, too. Here is what you need.

• white #10 crochet cotton thread (a huge roll is just a couple bucks at Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart)
• permanent markers in color of choice
• ruler
• masking tape (optional)

1. In the video, she recommends covering your ruler with masking tape to protect it from the markers. My ruler is an old one so I didn't bother taping it off since I don't care if it gets marks on it. Wrap the thread around the ruler. You want it tight enough that it doesn't bulk up, but also loose enough that you can slide it together.

2. Slide all your thread together so it's touching, but make sure it's flat and none of it is overlapping.

3. Take your permanent marker, and draw 3 thick lines on the front. You want it really saturated, so I went over it twice. Turn your ruler over and do the same thing to the thread on the back. On the video she said to leave it on for a bit to make sure it's dry, but I took mine right off and didn't have any problems.

And that's it! Pretty cool, huh? She mentions on the video that to make it look more like the original, you could try drawing the lines diagonally...I didn't do that but might try it sometime to see if it looks much different. Does it look exactly like the real deal? Well no, but it is an excellent thrifty alternative, and a very realistic way to have any color you need at your fingertips. Since it was so simple and quick, I decided to make a few colors to have on hand. And seriously? I will have this roll of thread forever.

And here it is in action! I didn't draw my lines thick enough on the red, so lesson learned for next time. :)

Happy crafting! :)