I have always LOVED these necklaces – I think they’re so fun and dainty and still sort of….dare I say it….Powerful!
I created one back in the spring, but I just couldn’t find wooden beads of a large enough scale to get it to look…Powerful. I never wore the one I made earlier, but I’m feeling like I will be making and wearing many of these new ones!
Here is Take 1:
cute...but definitely not "smashing!"
Here is Take 2:
See the difference?
For the How-To….
You’ll need:
wooden beads – i like the 1″ size, you can find at Hobby Lobby in the wood working section.
fabric strip cut very long and 3.5″ wide
sewing machine …if you don’t know how to sew, remember I can teach you!
wooden beads - buy at half-off sale so they're only 75 cents!
cut your strip of fabric.
fold in half, right sides together, and sew your strip closed with a tight stitch - about 2.5 stitch length.
to turn your tube right side out, take a large safety pin and insert it at the top of the tube...
...then puch head of safety pin down in the tube...
....then you'll just keep inching the safety pin further and further down the tube, pushing the excess out the other side, and eventually you'll have reversed your tube to be RIGHT SIDE OUT! yay
Viola!
Tie a know in the center of your strip, then insert the first wooden bead into the tube, and squish it all the way down to the knot.
You're almost done!!!
I used 6 beads, but you can make yours as long or short as you want. When you've finished inserting all the beads, determine how long you want the strands, then sew the tube shut at both ends. Then, put on a killer dress or Tshirt, and show it off around town!
I love the big, dramatic bow and long strips in the back. I think that will be fabulous with a Tshirt!
Time: it took me a while to figure out how wide to cut the strap, but once I got that figured out, the necklace only took about 20 minutes to make.
Cost:….. 75 CENTS! Isn’t that hilarious!
I dare you to make some and share with me the end results!
Love it! I think I will make one this weekend! And I loveee the big bow in the back! Thanks for the tutorial!
what a cute idea! i might have to do it!
Holy cow! What a difference a bead makes
I think you’re right…adorable with a good ol’ Tee!
[...] You know what – I feel like a giveaway…..leave me a comment, on Sunday I’ll randomly choose a winner. The winner will receive your choice: a covered button bracelet OR a fabric covered necklace! [...]
How big or small is your seam allowance? I did a 3.5″ inch strip and a 1″ bead but the bead wouldn’t fit. I did a pretty small seam allowance too so there wouldn’t be so much extra material in the tube. I am doing a 3.5″ tube now with 3/4″ beads.
Thanks and cute!
Hey Elizabeth…you know, I can’t remember the measurements that I ended up with, but I do know that it took me several tries to get the width wide enough for the balls to pass through – it wasn’t as simple as a 2″ tube…i did use a very small seam allowance, just like you’ve suggested. My advice is to just keep trying….start a little too big so you can just keep cutting it down rather than always starting over. Whenever I hear from the drawing winner, julie, I’ll be making another one and I’ll jot down the size of the strip I end up with. stay tuned! (and let me know if you figure it out first!) happy night to you!
robie
I think the problem people are having is because they are reading the 2.5 as the width of strip after sewing – I believe she means the 2.5 to be the length of the stitch on the sewing machine (a small stitch). The width of the sewn strip should end up around 3 inches (this is my guess).
Thanks marilyn! I have never thought about that – but I added clarification to that caption. Maybe that will help! Thanks for catching it!