Fabric Covered Chenille Stem Summer Necklace

Summer dresses are breaking out all over.  You know the type - spaghetti straps, halter straps, no straps .  .  . dresses with a whole lot of shoulders and skin showing.  I couldn't resist buying a spaghetti strap maxi dress recently.  It was such a good price, great for hot weather and a plus for my upcoming trip to Aruba. But it was too long so I had to cut off the excess and hem the dress. 

This time instead of tossing the scraps into a bin I decided to make a funky, whimsical statement necklace out of a crazy mix of patterns and colors that complimented the dress pattern.



 

 My Inspiration:

Ficklesticks

I found a cute site that introduced me to Ficklesticks.  They are really cute items that are made of fabric wrapped floral wire.  Granted, my necklace is not as colorful and whimsical as this and I also used chenille stems instead of floral wire but the message still comes out loud and clear of a necklace that's made with a crazy mix of colors, patterns and shapes which makes it so much fun and unique!

Besides the dress scraps, I found some fat quarters in complimentary colors on sale at Hancock Fabrics for $1.25 each plus a 15% off total coupon - more than enough to get me started.  And I already had chenille stems in my stash, a ruler, scissors, safety pin, needle-nose pliers and a sewing machine - so I was all set. Now you might be wondering how I'm putting this all together to make a necklace. 

Here's how I did it:


Gather supplies .  .  .  and

 

Cut 1" wide strips of fabric . . .
 

With right sides together sew a 1/4" seam.

Turn inside out using a safety pin pulled through the tube.

 

Then wrap about an inch of two chenille stems together to lengthen for necklace.

 

 

Bend ends of chenille stems over so they don't poke the fabric and insert into the fabric tube.

 

Push the fabric together making sure the ends of the chenille stems are at the ends of the fabric tube. 

 

Using needle-nose pliers, turn a small section of end over twice and press together.

 

For the decorative hanging necklace pieces, that I call squiggle stems, insert a single chenille into sewn fabric tube, pushing fabric together and finishing ends as before.

 

Make a loop with the squiggle stem and drape over the center necklace portion.

 

Push both ends through the loop, and tighten.

After trying out several different squiggle stems, I opted to use just five pieces .  .  . curling the ends around in a circle.  But that's the cuteness of making this whimsical necklace.  You can make so many different variations with the bendable fabric covered chenille stems. 

 

And finally, I made a bracelet with the left over squiggle stems .  .  .

 

 

And here it is with the dress . . .

 

Oh my!

What a fun summer project!  And it's a perfect go to necklace to wear with those cute summer dresses, tops or outfits!

 

Take a little time to enjoy

and

Happy Crafting!
 

Burlap Bow Pillow

Back in the spring I posted how I reupholstered my hubby's valet chair.  Well, I've finally gotten around to making a pillow out of the leftover fabric.  Since I had some burlap in the exact same lavender shade as in the fabric, I decided to make a bow to sew on the pillow that would blend the two together.  I know a bow is not something to add as an embellishment on a pillow for a manly valet.  But I have a small sofa near the chair in our bedroom and I think adding a matching pillow on it would make the room and furniture flow together a bit better.

Those of you who follow my blog know that always give step by step instructions.  I like reading how something is made and I hope you do too.


Using a 15 inch pillow insert, I cut out a square pattern 14x14 inches that included a 1/2 seam all around.  I wanted the pillow form to fit snug, corner to corner.  I thought placing the bow on the diagonal would give it a more "together" look.  To make the bow,  I lightly drew a rectangular form 7 inches wide diagonally on the square pattern.  Going across, corner to corner, measured 20 inches and I added two more for the 1/2 inch seam allowance and fullness of the pillow, for a total 22 inch length for the bow. 

I made a pattern of this and also a 4x4 inch square for the knot and cut them out.

I also cut out the 14 inch square, front and back of the scripted fabric (not shown) and the bow and knot in the burlap (below).

Instead of stitching down the 1/2 inch seam allowance, I glued the seam with fabric glue.  In hindsight, I should have folded a 1/4 inch edge and folded it again and machine basted.  I used Aileen's Fusion Fabric glue which proved to be messy, seeping through the open weave of the burlap.

 To make the knot, I folded right sides together lengthwise and stitched a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

 Next, I turned the knot right side out, with the seam in the middle of one side, turning the ends inward and pressing flat.

 Gathering the bow in the middle, placed the knot around the center of the bow and slip-stitched the ends securely.

Next, I pinned the bow diagonally across the front section with right sides facing up and basted the raw corner edges in place.

                                    
 With rights sides together, I pinned the front section with the bow to the back section and stitched, leaving an opening in the lower edge.  Trimmed the corners and turned the pillow right side out, making sure the bow was straight.

Inserted the pillow form, getting the edges into the corners and slip-stitched the opening closed.  

                                                       TA  DA .  .   .  Stunning!

                       The back of the pillow  .  .  .  on the valet chair.  

                            Cozily placed on the sofa next to a throw.

                                                     Front  .   .   .

 

Back of the pillow, again. 

 

 

 

                             I think it's a keeper.  What do you think?

Take a little time to enjoy!











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