Measuring Tape Bracelet

A while back I saw this ruler tattoo, and thought, as I have with every ruler I've ever seen, "I need that."  I mean, how many times have I been at the store and thought "if only I had a ruler with me..." or on the bus wondering if this or that section of my knitting was long enough yet? So I told my loving BF that a forearm tattoo was in my future, and he got that look on his face.  He didn't say no (he never does), but his hatred of tattoos, spending money, and the english measuring system were all there in his eyes.   

I was still thinking about getting the ink when I saw a spool of ruler-print ribbon on clearance for 49 cents.  (Cue angels singing.)  A bracelet was born.

If you want one, you'll need a spool of a similar ribbon, some clear quilting thread, a needle, and two D-rings (the size will depend on your ribbon).  Cheap, right?

You'll need to cut the ribbon an inch longer than the circumference of your wrist, half an inch on each side.  My wrist is freakishly small (about 5.5 inches), but a ruler smaller than 6 inches is ever so useless.  Seven inches (clipping at 11.5 inches and 6.5 inches so my bracelet would start at 0 and end at 6) did the trick.  

Roll the ribbon down a quarter inch on the wrong side, then roll it over itself another quarter inch.  Sandwich your D ring on the wrong side between this little nubby and the ruler and pin it for sewing.  Repeat on the other side.  You can use regular pins, but when hand sewing, I use safety pins to keep my fingers from looking like pin cushions.

See how the rings line up with the "start" and "end" of the tape to allow for precise measuring?  Is this going to be perfect or what?

Then, we sew.  You don't have to be a perfect hand sewer because you're using invisible thread, but try to keep things at least close to straight so your ruler is still useable. 

After you're repeated the process on both side, you can just slip one D ring into the other and your bracelet is done.  Because you don't thread the ribbon through the hooks, your ruler will stay straight and wrinkle free.  Happy measuring!