There’s nothing like the a nice handmade jewellery present for Mother’s Day change. Maybe this special day can get you in the mood for a new jewellery project. Here is an easy project of making the fabric beads necklace which will help you to create an unique gift. From funky, bold colours and flower vintage style to cotton stripy beads and more, this will help you to be creative.
For this project you will need wooden beads, that can be find in any hobby & craft shop. Or you can find some old jewellery in charity or second-hand shops which can be recycled. The size of the beads is up to you, but if you do it for the first time you should use a bigger size – it will be easier to handle with. For this project we used eight 1 in wooden beads.
The important thing is to choose the style of your final piece – vintage, funky, black & white, embellished… Create your design in your head and then choose the fabrics. You will also need some thread, ribbons and scissors, and – you are ready to have fun!!
How to make a fabric beads necklace?
1 Take 4½ in strip of the fabric and fold it in half lengthwise, right sides together and pin in the place.
2 Sew a ¼ in along the edge to create the tube.
3 Press the seam open and turn right side out.
4 Fold the tube in half lengthwise to find the centre and pinch with two fingers. Insert a wooden bead into the fabric tube pushing it so that it rest against your pinched fingers.
5 Tie and firmly knot on either side of the wooden bead.
6 Insert two beads on either side of the central bead and repeat step 5.
7 Carry on in this fashion until you have inserted and knotted all eight beads.
8 Leaving the ends of fabric loose, trim so that they are equal lengths and iron them flat.
9 turn the raw edges of the loose fabric inside the tube and insert the ribon into the tube. The fabric tube may be wider than the width of the ribbon, if so, fold inwards any excess fabric, pin in place and stitch to secure (this can be a bit fiddly so take your time and use a decorative stitch if you prefer!).
10 Neaten a raw edges of the other ends of ribbon with a line of stitch to prevent them fraying and secure with two knots and a bow. Enjoy wearing your new beads!
