Rakhi Making Ideas: How to Make Rakhi at Home

As I roam around the market, colourful threads showing off a plethora of designs catch my attention. From plain threads to the ones having figurines of famous cartoon characters, some of them even emitting lights, rakhis have taken over the entire neighbourhood. The ones that catch my attention, in particular, are handmade rakhis decorated with beads, mirrors, ribbons, glitter and what not. The idea of tying a rakhi with personalised touch on my brother's wrists, impresses me.

As I adore these sacred threads, the aroma of freshly prepared sweets adds on to my festive spirit. After buying some gorgeous gift packs, I head back to home, with the idea of handmade rakhis spinning in my head. Inspired by these traditional threads, I put on my creative hat and search for ideas for making rakhis, with an added dose of love, at home.  Here are some of these ideas which will help you in making a customised rakhi for your brother with the help of readily available materials at home. 

Paper Quilling Rakhi

If you do not have paper quilling set, you can make strips using pastel sheet
Photo Credit: slurrp farm

The art of paper quilling has become popular and trendy over the past few years. Taking forward this craft, you can create a unique paper quilling rakhi at the ease of your home! All you need are a set of paper quills or pastel sheets, glue/glue gun, scissors, curling needle, cardboard and a ribbon.

 Take a set of 25cm long readymade paper quilling strips. You can also use colourful pastel sheets for making strips with a width of your choice. Curl these strips with the help of a curling needle. Either wind up the coil tightly or leave it a little loose, as per the design you have in mind. Apply some glue and paste the loose ends on the curls. Cut a round paper from pastel sheet or cardboard such that it can take the weight of curls. Arrange the curls on the paper base in the form of a flower and adhere them with the help of a glue gun. Paste this beautiful round base with flower designs either on a wide ribbon or a silk thread and you paper quilling rakhi is ready!

Peacock Motif Rakhi

Use silver glitter for the shining effect
Photo Credit: Maya CraftiWorks

Peacock motif design is one of the most popular traditional rakhi designs. This can easily be prepared at home using blue coloured leather or foam sheet, pearl beads, golden dori (thread), glitter, shiny colours, glue/glue gun, pencil, scissors, and blue, turkish and white coloured stones.

Take a blue coloured foam/leather sheet and fold it in half. Draw the outline of a peacock on the upper side and draw small circles on it for defining the tail. Cut both the sheets through outline so as to get two peacock shaped blue foams. Apply silver glitter on a blue foam sheet and cut small circles from it for decorating peacock's tail. Outline each circle with a golden dori with the help of glue gun. Paste these circles all over the peacock's tail. Decorate the elongated neck with silver glitter and rest of the body with colourful beads and stones.

Paste this heavily decorate peacock on the peacock shaped foam that you had cut earlier, for a strong base. Adhere a golden dori on the backside of the peacock. Your peacock motif rakhi dipped in love is ready!

Matchstick Rakhi

Either leave the matchstick tip as it is or paint it using nail polish
Photo Credit: http://cyberspaceandtime.com/

Unleash your artistic spirit with this matchstick rakhi. You'll be needing one to two matchboxes, nail paints, rhinestone, pastel sheet/wedding card, pastel colours (optional), glue/ glue/gun and scissors.

Cut a round shaped pastel sheet or wedding card in any rakhi size of your choice. Take 10-20 matchsticks and colour the tips with nail paints. You can also paint the sticks using nail paints or acrylic colours. Paste these colourful matchsticks on the round base such that the middle circle is left uncovered. You can also paste similarly painted smaller matchsticks over the longer ones for a different look. Paste a shining rhinestone in the centre. Adhere a ribbon or thread of your choice on the base's back side and cover the same with another cardboard circle of the same size. Your rakhi resembling a rhinestone sun with rays made of matchsticks is now ready!

Stylish Patch Rakhi

Patch rakhis can be customised as per choice
Photo Credit: https://www.thebetterindia.com/

For those who prefer rakhis with trendy and pop-culture quotient, stylish patch rakhis are the perfect choice. You'll be needing cardboard, a piece of cloth, a stylish patch/broach, acrylic paints/markers, fabric glue/needle and thread, glue gun and scissors.

Cut a small piece of cardboard in the desired shape for your rakhi. Cover the board with a piece of cloth and either stitch the edges for smoothness or paste them to the board with the help of fabric glue.

Over the cloth, you can scribble trendy quotes either from sitcoms, films or social media with the help of a marker, or paint a trendy symbol such as a batman sign, or emojis with the help of acrylic paints. Add to the style quotient by pasting a broach or patch on the rakhi. You can use new patches similar to the ones used for denims or can alternately take one from an old pair of jeans. Stick this gorgeous rakhi on a ribbon or thread with the help of a glue gun. You can also paint the ribbon in pop culture themes such as red and black for Netflix.  

Clay Rakhi

Apply varnish after completing the design for a finished look
Photo Credit: Punekar Sneha

For those who want to give their rakhi a traditional touch, customised clay rakhis can be a viable option. You'll be needing clay, cutter, fabric colours, paint brushes, thread/ribbon, key chain ring, varnish and any other decorative material of your choice.

To begin with, cut a circular piece of clay in the desirable size and let it dry for nearly 15 minutes. You can either use clay mould, a circular lid or simply cutter/knife for the same. Paint the clay with a base fabric colour. You can now customise the design as per your choice. One of the options is to draw patterns, such as Worli on the clay base with the help of fabric paint or marker. Alternately, you can also scribble words on it and create a sieve effect by pricking the base with toothpicks.

As you finish the design, paste a key chain ring on the backside and put a ribbon/thread over it. Cover the ring entire side with more clay such that the thread is sandwiched between the key ring and the added clay. Let it dry for some time. Stroke the clay with varnish for a glossy finished look.