(P.S. Make it in white as an Elsa hair braid.)
In January, I started the process of helping my friend Monica prepare for her daughter's 4th birthday party that was a month out at the time. The theme was Tangled. I did my due diligence and watched the movie the weekend before.
The first project was to make Rapunzel hair for the girls (and my son, the only boy attending the party).
So armed with three large skeins of bright yellow yarn we got to work. Taking measurements on The Boy, we decided to go with seven-foot lengths, aiming to have a two foot braid in the back. After making the prototype we realized that braiding shrunk the length more than we anticipated. In round two we cut nine-foot lengths. It's also important not to stretch the yarn taut as you measure or it shrinks back up after cutting.
For the 4-year-olds we decided that 20 inches around their head was a good length. It has a little give if they are bigger and can be tied if need be to shorten up that part.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN RAPUNZEL HALO BRAID
MATERIALS
- scissors
- tape measure
- yarn
For Rapunzel braids, use bright yellow.
To make 2 braids: Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, Bright Yellow, 364 yards
To make 4 braids: Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo Yarn, Bright Yellow, 744 yards
To make 6 braids: Bulk Buy: Red Heart Super Saver Yarn (3-Pack) Bright Yellow, 1092 yards total
For Elsa braids, use soft white.
To make 2 braids: Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, Soft White, 364 yards
To make 4 braids: Red Heart Super Saver Jumbo Yarn, Soft White, 744 yards
To make 6 braids: Bulk Buy: Red Heart Super Saver Yarn (3-Pack) Soft White, 1092 yards total
Step 1: Cut sixty pieces of yarn, each 9 feet (108 inches) long. Put them in one stack and find the center (4.5 feet from the end).
Step 2: Measure about 15 inches from the center of the lengths and temporarily tie off the yarn with a small piece of yarn.
Step 3: Split the yarn into three sections and braid toward the center point until you have 20 inches of braid. Tie off the end of the braided section. (If you notice that the two unbraided ends aren't the same length, then you can untie one tie to braid further in that direction so this 20-inch section is roughly in the middle.)
Step 4: Leaving the temporary ties at the ends of the middle braided section, make a loop with the braided part and join the two ends of the yarn to braid down in one fat braid.
Step 5: Tie off the end of the braid and trim up the loose ends if needed.
Step 6: Untie the temporary ties that originally held the ends of the center section of braid. Tie around the top of the large braided section. This tie can be adjusted to change the length of the part that goes around the head. It's also kinda stretchy.
Tada!
I LOVED all the details of the party.
Nicole
This is a great idea and I look forward to doing something like this for my students. Do you mind telling me how many one package of yarn makes?
Thank you!
Nicole
sarah
Post authorThanks! I have a friend who made them in white as Elsa braids, too! One skein of this yarn (364 yards) can make two halo braids.
liz
Thanks so much for the tutorial! I'm going to make one in white (an Elsa braid) for my niece!
sarah
Post authorExcellent! I have a friend who made a white Elsa braid and also did a braid she attached onto a headband to have an Anna braid (hanging down on both sides, and used an accent of white yarn).
Angela
thanks for the clear and helpful tutorial -- here's to a great halloween!
sarah
Post authorI'm so glad that people are enjoying it! Happy Halloween!
Helen
Thanks for the great tutorial :) I just made one of these up for my daughter. So easy!
sarah
Post authorThank you! I hope she loves it.
Julie
Thank you so much posting this! I made a rapunzel braid and we love it. Also, the flower foam stickers worked perfect. Thank you!
sarah
Post authorExcellent! I must admit that over the past few months of play and the braid being in the dress up bin, our flowers are no longer around, but they were fun while they lasted. :-)
Heather
Great tutorial! My daughter has requested a Tangled 4th birthday party so this is exactly what I've been looking for:) I see in one of the pictures there are Flynn Rider satchels. Can you tell me how those were made or where they were found?? There will be some boys attending and they may not be in to flower braids ;) thx a bunch!
sarah
Post authorThanks so much, Heather! It was a really fun party to help with. The satchels were ordered from etsy (I don't know what seller). You can search for "flynn satchel" and you'll see a number of options. Some sellers are even also making them in purple and pink. Have a great party!
Amy
Thanks so much for this wonderful tutorial! I definitely will need to make this for my daughter at some point! I especially appreciate your recommendations for how much yarn to buy. I've been thinking of doing yarn braids in some form, but was having trouble making length/cost estimates. Your extremely clear instructions are also greatly appreciated. :)
May I ask, about how much time did it take you to make each one? I'm sure it varies, but I'm trying to gauge whether doing this at a somewhat large scale (inviting 25 kids, though they're not all girls) would even be an option for us. Thanks very much!
sarah
Post authorThey take a while, but it's been long enough that I don't exactly remember how long. 25 sounds like a ton to make. I think we made 8-9 total, and the two of us worked together on the first maybe half. I'm guessing that might have been a 2 hour work session. I'd suggest making one (cause your daughter would love one even if you don't end up making them for the party) and see how long it takes you. If the party is sufficiently far in advance and you could work on them over time, then anything is possible. :-) Put on some good TV to watch while you work on them! (Oh, my son and the birthday girl's brother were the only boys at this party, so we made them braids anyway. You could totally do something different for the boys! The picture on the table shows the Flynn Rider satchels each child received. These were purchased on Etsy.)
Flavia
Me parece una idea genial. Se van a divertir mucho las niñas. Y yo haciendolas. Gracias
sarah
Post authorThank you, Flavia. I'm glad you enjoyed my tutorial. Have fun!
Annie
Thanks so much for the tutorial! It was perfect for my daughter's rapunzel costume.
One question: do you know if/how these will hold up in the washing machine? My daughter's bread was on and off all day and got a bit dirty.
sarah
Post authorThanks, Annie. I'm glad you enjoyed it! That's a great question, but I haven't washed ours, so I really don't know. I'd imagine hand washing would be the way to go. Please let me know how it goes.
Lori
Thank you so much! My daughter-in-law requested one of these for my granddaughter for Christmas. I made one to go with all of her princess dress-up gifts. Perfect!
sarah
Post authorI'm so glad you enjoyed the tutorial. I hope she loves it!
Roe
These are beautiful...I’m going to make one for my daughter’s bridal shower to represent Repunzel , the theme is once upon a time, I have to incorporate each princess and this is a good way to incorporate Repunzel.
sarah
Post authorThank you, Roe. That sounds lovely. Enjoy celebrating your daughter and have fun with the theme. I'm so glad my tutorial has been helpful. :-)
Carrol
So, is the 15 inches divided up between the middle. So 9 1/2 inches on one side of the middle and the other 9 1/2 inches on the opposite side of the middle? Or 15 inches on both sides of the middle.
sarah
Post authorIn step 2, measure 15" from the center. So tie off 15" to one side of the center. Essentially you're braiding the middle 30" which shrinks to 20" when you braid.
Erica Grace
Thank you so much for this! Made it for a last minute Halloween costume (thank you 3 year old daughter for changing your mind the day of! Actually, i enjoy anything yarn/costume/creative challenges so this isn’t a real complaint). :D
I used bulky weight yarn - one skein of about 100 yards was perfect.
sarah
Post authorThanks, Erica. I'm so happy to hear that and hope you both had a wonderful Halloween!
Erica Grace
Back again! Going to make this again as a birthday present for my daughter’s friend.
The one i made for Halloween last year has held up so well. She wears it for dress up at least once a week. I think i should make an elsa one too! Hehe! Thank you ????
sarah
Post authorThanks for the message, Erica! I'm glad your daughter has enjoyed it. Have a great day!
Francesca Smith
A huge thank you for this! I made a white Elsa one and a yellow Rapunzel one using this tutorial about 4 years ago for my eldest daughter. The hair braids are still going strong and a now used for my youngest. Today she asked if I could make her a red Ariel one before she goes to a friends princess party, so I found your tutorial again and we have now added Ariel to our collection! …Apparently Princess Jasmine is next on her list so I’m off to the shops to buy more yarn!
sarah
Post authorI'm so pleased to hear that the tutorial has been helpful to you. I hope she had a lovely celebration with her friend. Thank you for your kind words.