All Jeweled Up

I have to admit- I'm addicted to jewelry.  It's one of those things I don't leave the house without, and love to collect.  Lately, I've had fun making some different pieces too!  It all started when I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator last December as was looking for something unique to do with the fabric in the catalog.  Of course, now that I came up with something, they now longer sell fabric.  But, I still can use this idea with all kinds of fabrics I discover.  My thinking was this- why not use it to make a necklace?  I cut the fabric into strips, braided them, and added embellishments.  Here is my latest crop!

 They're funky and eclectic, especially given that the fabric has some twist and movement to it and is a little frayed around the edges.  Below is a close up of some of the stands.  i also had an extra strip left over after making each necklace, so I also made a matching bracelet for each.  How did I make these, let me tell ya.

I found some fat quarters I really liked that coordinated with each other (or in the case of the one above, I used just one fabric design instead of two).  I cut about 1 inch strips lengthwise across the fabric.  

Once this was done, I really wanted to make some pieces longer since I prefer longer necklaces, but you can adjust to your taste.  To get the longer pieces, I tied two strips of fabric together, essentially doubling the length of the strip of fabric.  I did this to three total strips to give me three long strands to braid together.  Cut off the extra bits of fabric from your knot (and don't worry about those knots- you will braid them in and you really can't see anything once the entire strand is braided).  For some super long pieces, I even tripled the length, tying one strip to the end of another strip, then tying another strip to the end of the last piece.  It is all depending on how long you want it.  

Once your strips are to the desired length, tie them together at one end so you can braid.  I usually stick this end knot under a book or something heavy so I can anchor it to easily braid away.  Once you finish your strip, I usually hot glue to tie off the other end so the braid doesn't unravel while I work on others. I also usually clean it up a little by cutting off some of the fraying "hairs" or strands of fabric that are a bit excessive.  Although I admit, a little of the fray showing really adds to the charm of this necklace.

When all braids are completed, you'll tie the ends of your pieces together to make a loop out of your strand.  Or, if you are like me, you hot glue the ends together and then cut off the excess knot pieces.  You'll hide the tie or the hot glue with a leftover strip of the fabric you used.  If you are like me and you wanted a staggered or tiered look to your necklace, I did a combination of doubled and tripled strands to give a layered look.  Whatever you do, gather your looped braids together with the tied or hot glued ends together.  You'll then take your extra strip of fabric and tightly wrap around your ends.  Tie this with a knot and tuck the knot under part of the fabric strip so you don't see the knot.

And now for my favorite part- the bling!  I took earring wires and some beads the matched, and strung them through the braid.  Once through, I cut the excess off and used jewelry pliers to loop the metal around the braid to the bead.    I hope you enjoy!