create:
Simple, beautiful art projects to do with your kids at home.
Recycled Fabric Jewelry
I did a bad, bad thing. When I found out I was having a baby girl, I went out and bought beautiful dresses for her, beautiful dresses that often came with hefty price tags. I literally bought a three-year supply over the course of six months.
What I didn’t know then, that I know now, is that she would embark on a path of rapid growth that would leave her busting out of her clothes on an average of every six months. I donated some, I put away others for my eventual grandchildren, but many had suffered stains and damage in the short time they were in circulation.
Those beautiful prints and embellishments made their way into my daughter’s fabric jewelry project. Every time she wears one of her handcrafted necklaces, I feel a little less guilty and foolish.
Step 1: Here's what you will need to get started: various fabric strips (about 15 foot-long strips), embroidery needle, embroidery thread, wooden beads, scissors.
Step 2: Thread your needle! Don’t forget to tie a big, fat knot at the end, so that your stitches don’t pull though.
Step 3: Next, choose a strip of fabric and let’s get sewing!
Step 4: Insert the needle into one end of your fabric strip.
Step 5: Using a basic stitch, begin sewing in a straight line along the length of your fabric strip, about one inch between each stitch.
Step 6: Repeat this stitch until you reach the other end of the fabric strip.
Step 7: Now a really fun part: this is called gathering. Holding the needle up high in one hand, use your other hand to scrunch down the fabric, allowing the folds to gather in layers around the string.
Step 8: Continue doing this over and over again - sewing strips onto your string and then gathering the fabric with a scrunching motion - until you've used all of your fabric.
Step 9: Don't forget to add string beads throughout your necklace!
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