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Close up of green and yellow ribbon lei and red and white lei
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Tutorial to Make a Double Braided Ribbon Lei

Master the art of making a vibrant double-braided ribbon lei with four strands through this beginner-friendly tutorial. Perfect for Hawaiian graduation celebrations, these intricately woven leis make cherished and meaningful gifts to honor academic achievements.
Prep Time5 minutes
Active Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Yield: 1 lei
Cost: $8-15

Equipment

  • Pair of Scissors
  • 4 Clothes Pins you can also use chip clips or large paperclips

Materials

  • 4 lengths 1/4 inch satin craft ribbon You’ll need 8-10 yards of 4 lengths of ribbon. Two colors are used make the traditional double braided ribbon lei, but you can use three or four colors if you choose.
  • 3-4 yards coordinating ribbon for the bow

Instructions

  • To keep the 4 strands of ribbon from tangling, use clothes pins to keep each ribbon strand neatly wrapped.
  • Make a loop with a knot in one red and one white ribbon (my tutorial uses red and white ribbon, use the colors you choose for your lei), with about 4-6 inches of a ribbon tail remaining.
  • Fold the contrasting color ribbon to form a loop and slip through the loop of each knotted ribbon, leaving a ribbon tail of about 4-6 inches.
  • Set your ribbon pairs up like the photo in the online tutorial. The color ribbon you want to be the outside color of your double braided ribbon lei should be in the position of the red ribbons in the photo.
  • Starting with ribbon on the top or outside of the lei, take the corresponding partner ribbon, make a loop and slip it through the outside loop. Pull the outside ribbon until it snugs up on the corresponding ribbon you just threaded through it. 
    Then do the same with the other ribbon pair.
  • Continue working each ribbon loops pairs by inserting one into the other until you reach the length of lei that you want.
  • When you reach your desired length, slip the loose ends of the ribbon through the loops and pull tight.
    Knot the ends of the ribbon together to create the lei.
  • Create a bow to tie onto the joined portion of the lei. 

Notes

You may want to follow along with the video tutorial for making a double braided ribbon lei until you get the hang of the weaving process.