I love having little items that remind me of the people I love – especially when it means something to me, and most people don’t know what it means.  For instance, I wear this butterfly ring and this bracelet that Debbie got me…they both mean something very special to me…and I love the fact that people just think it’s “jewelry”.  It’s our secret…much like a Hallmark Movie and Mystery movie!  One in particular comes to mind, “Riddled with Deceit”.  It’s secrets, detective work, mysteries…and what better way to get a message to someone in a secret way than using Morse code? I’m going to show you how to use Morse code to get a message of love to a friend or family member.  You’ve heard of SOS? That’s Morse code.

If you want a little Morse Code history, read on!  If not, skip down to the “How to” section. I have to admit that I’ve been fascinated with Morse code since I was little.  My cousins (who were more like my brothers and sisters when I was young) are named Morse.  We used to pretend we were related to Samuel Morse who invented Morse Code and the telegraph.  We used spoons against the counter to send messages…though to be honest, we weren’t very good at it.  We probably knew about 10 words and that was it!  But it was fun and it was our secret to go play!

Official Morse Code History:

Morse code is named for Samuel F. B. Morse, an inventor of the telegraph.Developed way back in 1837! Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called dots and dashes or dits and dahs.

In an emergency, Morse code can be generated by improvised methods such as turning a light on and off, tapping on an object or sounding a horn or whistle, making it one of the simplest and most versatile methods of telecommunication.

The most common distress signal is SOS – three dots, three dashes, and three dots – internationally recognized by treaty.

Now, some people wear their hearts on their sleeves, and I’m going to show you how to wear your love on your wrist and keep it a special secret between you and your recipient! Here is how to get started.

You Will Need:

• Small round beads
• Long beads called “tube” beads
• Scissors
• Card stock

• Small box
• Batting
• Jewelry hardware like jump ring and clasp
• Jewelry pliers

How-To:

1. Look up the saying or words that you would like to convey on your bracelet in morse code on the internet. For instance, if you want your bracelet to say, “i love you”, type in “morse code for ‘i love you’”. Print out the sequence.

2. Cut your wax string so that it can wrap around your hand, not your wrist.

3. Tie a knot in your string where you want the words to start. Evenly space the knot from the center, this will depend on how long your phrase is.

4. Add beads according to the morse code sequence using your short and long beads.

PRO TIP: The tube beads are your dashes and the round beads are your dots.

5. Tie a knot at the end of your message to lock it in.

6. For the clasp, we are using a “single sliding knot” method. This is a great method to secure your bracelet and to make it adjustable.

Go to our Facebook page to see Paige give a video tutorial of this!

PRO TIP: If you don’t want to use the knot, you can also use classic metal jewelry hardware like jump rings and a clasp.

TO CREATE THE SLIDING KNOT CLOSURE

1. Make sure that your string bracelet has nice tight knots on either end.

2. Overlap the ends by ½ inch.

3. Test to make sure you have plenty of room to get the bracelet on and off your hand. If making this for someone with larger, account for the size of their hands and make the string longer.

4. With the ends overlapped on each side, take another piece of cord about 6-7 inches long. Make a loop around the short end and have the longer end on the other side.

5. Make sure the cords of your bracelet are not twisted at all and hold them with one hand, its best to use your non-dominant hand.

6. Grab the loop with your thumb and wrap the long end of the cord around your bracelet about 5-6 times, making sure not too tight because we are going to weave the cord back through the loops.

PRO TIP: Don’t let go or it will make the loops way too loose.

7. Weave the longer end back through the loops and coils you made, making sure to go through all of the loops and continue all the way to the first loop you made.

8. Grab both ends that are sticking out and pull gently apart and this will tighten up the knot. Keep pulling a little bit at a time until taut.

9. For the ends, cut them short and tie off with a knot. Tie a knot each end of the cord and slide it down as close to the cord and pull it tight. Do the same on the other side.

10. Trim the little sides with scissors and test it to make sure that you’ve done it correctly – it should loosen and tighten to fit any wrist!

IF YOU’RE GIFTING THE BRACELET

1. Once your bracelet is done, it’s time to let your recipient know what they are receiving! On card stock, write out what the dots and dashes mean. You can write this by hand or put it through your printer.

2. Trim it down with scissors to fit in your gift box.

3. Cut a piece of batting to go into your gift box and lay the bracelet on top.

4. Lay the Morse code message on top and wrap it up for your special someone. No one else will know what your bracelet means, but you will. And it will be fun to share this secret with your special someone!