Ruche-Inspired Necklace

Hi everyone,

I'm finally back, and ready to start posting a bit more regularly.(: I finished my first year of college last Thursday, and may I say, it feels SO good! Although I am sad to leave behind my teacher and mentor for the past three quarters...I'll even miss his crazy ten-page essays, haha (my final ended up being a whopping 19 pages!). But although this is the end of one chapter of my life, it's the beginning of a new one, which gives me something to be excited about. I also plan on doing much more blogging...I hope!

Anyway, I made this necklace around the beginning of this month, when I was sick and tired of studying, and just wanted to use my hands (and not so much my brain). AND I even typed up a tutorial! There aren't any pictures, but it's pretty easy to figure out, even by just looking at the picture.

Here is my inspiration:



You'll Need:
Needlenose Pliers
Assorted beads (you'll want some small ones and then a few chunky ones...I used green glass beads and a few silver ones)
Straight pins
Necklace chain
Slightly thicker chain (just needs to be thick enough to hook the beads onto.)
A chain in a contrasting color
A couple of jump rings

How To

This is a fairly straightforward necklace. It can be a bit tricky working with the pliers and chains, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy as pie. You should be able to find all of these materials (if you don't have them already) at your local craft store.

1. First, lay out your pattern, and get an idea of how you want the beads arranged. What I did was to take one large bead and make it the centerpiece, and then work from there. It can be a pattern, but it doesn't have to be. Make it as eclectic as you choose!

2. Now, start sliding your beads onto the straight pins. If the holes of your beads slide over the ends, simply take a smaller bead (like a seed bead), and put that on first so the beads won't slide off.

3. Take your pliers and bend the top of the straight pin into a u-shape, then slide your pin with the beads onto the thicker chain, then use the pliers to bend the U closed.

4. Repeat step three for all of your beads.

5. Now, take your contrasting chain and break it into four (or as many as you wish) parts, so you end up with two chains that are about 2 inches long, and two that are about 2 1/2 inches long. (You can probably just separate these with your pliers...if they're made up of big enough links, just use your pliers to pull them apart)

6. Using your pliers and a jump ring (one for each piece of chain), attach the contrasting chains to the thicker chain, interspersing them between the beads. I put two close to the center, and the other two out towards the edge.

7. Take your necklace chain, which can be any length you like, and using jump rings and pliers, attach it to the ends of the thicker chain.

8. You have a gorgeous necklace! Wear it with pride!(:

Here's my finished product:



Be sure and let me know if you try it out!!(:

Have a lovely day~!

~Vicki