How to do a Mexican braid for decorations and much more:

The Mexican braid, characteristic of Mexican rag dolls, can be used for various decorations. Here I show you how to make one step by step.

1. First we are going to need 3 thick ribbons and a thinner one. The Mexican braid takes a lot of ribbon, so I preferred to buy the 10 m rolls and cut them at the end. You can choose thinner ribbons depending on the use you are going to give your braid, but I like them thick (these are 2 cm).

2. You are going to start by cutting a small piece of thin ribbon and putting the three thick ribbons and the thin ribbon together and tying a knot, and then you are going to stick your four ribbons tied with a piece of tape on a flat surface.

3. Now you are going to start making a normal braid, making sure that the thin ribbon is always in the middle, and the thick ribbon on the right is the one that you are going to make a little loop of which you are going to tie, giving it a turn with the thin ribbon and, pulling hard so that it is tight, then you pass your thin ribbon to the center again and continue with the next color of ribbon according to the order of your braid. It should be mentioned that it took me three attempts to make this braid, it doesn't come out the first time, sometimes we make mistakes and maybe lose the order of the ribbons and tie weird knots but that’s ok, in the end it can be corrected. This braid took me about 1 hour to make, but it is more than 50 cm long.

4. As you progress, your rolls of ribbon may get tangled at the bottom. If this happens, you can secure the braid with a piece of tape, untangle the ribbons, and continue.

5. When finished you are going to tie the other end with another piece of thin ribbon, very tight and you are going to cut the excess ribbons

6. If you flip your braid, it should look more or less uniform at the bottom. I had some loose sections, including some knots, you can correct by cutting small pieces of thin ribbon and tying where it is loose and necessary to make it tight.

In the end, once you have mastered the technique a little, you should have fun doing it. You can play music or even have a craft afternoon with your friends (I've seen that sometimes people get together at the beginning of the year to make vision boards, so, why not a crafts night with Mexican braids?).

The result will be a colorful and very pretty braid that you can use for various decorations. For example, I am going to use it to make an easter wreath. You can also put it on a headband and use it as a costume for Mexican Independence Day or a Catrina on the Day of the Dead, Halloween or a costumes party, or even use it as a necklace, scarf or add it as an accessory to any item of clothing. Use your imagination, the sky is the limit!

Don't forget to have fun and enjoy the colors; crafts should bring light, color and joy to our lives.

Mexican braid made with satina