Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Skitch-I-Y: Tribal Bib Necklace





If you read my Mother's Day post, you might remember me mentioning Jenni Radosevich from I Spy DIY and her really cool projects. Well, my absolute favorite DIY from hers has got to be her tribal necklace and of course, it brought me back to jr. high school when I was the girl that braided with thread all the other girls' hairs and sold friendship bracelets for pocket change so I could score awesome goodies at the candy shop across the street from my school. In other words, I HAD TO TRY IT OUT! I always like to try things a little different than shown so I played around with colors, lengths and amounts. I also used some different materials as Jenni because I couldn't find bungee cord but I actually love the results with what I used. It's also lighter and cheaper. The cool thing about this is that you can make practically anything with it. You can keep it simple and make a bracelet like Jenni does as well, or you could even make a belt! It's really the most simple form of friendship bracelet but taken to the next level. I wanted to play around with neons since they're the hot ticket this spring/summer, and I made one for my mom's birthday. I kept hers smaller and neutral as she's petite and wouldn't wear neon like me. Anyways, let's begin (image heavy post ahead)!


You'll need:




  • Assorted colored threads and/or nylon twine
  • Cotton Clothesline or bungee cord
  • Scissors
  • Beads (optional)
  • Masking tape (not shown)
  • Glue (UHU, Magnatac- not shown)








Step 1: Take the cotton clothesline and measure out the desired length. It all depends on how you want to do your necklace. If you want it single then you can cut as long or short as you wish. If you're going to do a bib necklace like me, I recommend cutting one long strand of about 30"(so you could wear it of the length of your liking) and the rest is up to you. My initial tube was of 9" so it would fall nicely on my decolleté. For each tube you will use three clothesline cords. For the first one you will cut the 30" one and two shorter ones aligned in the center of the long one. For the rest you will cut them all the same size of your preference. Secure the ends with masking tape so they wont unravel. You can add some tape to keep the tubes steady and remove them later on as you go wrapping the thread.



You should have something similar to this:




Step 2: Take your colored thread of preference and tie a half knot at the end of each tube (for the tube with the long cord, you will start where the short ones begin). Make sure it is really taut so it wont loosen up. If you prefer to make another half knot, then go ahead. Do not cut your thread just yet!

Step 3: Tuck in the extra thread in between the cotton cords and start wrapping your thread by the end that you haven't cut yet. Make sure it is even and really tight or you'll get peekaboo spaces. Wrap as much as you like. You can add small beads if you wish as you go wrapping it around but for that you would have to cut your thread before the aforementioned time so you could string them through. I chose to keep mine simple as the neon colors were enough detail for me.

Step 4: If you wish to change thread colors, simply make a half knot with your old color and tuck in the excess in the cotton cords. 















Step 5: Repeat the same process until you cover the entire tube of cords. You can change colors as often as you like.














Step 6: When you reach the other end, wrap a double knot to hold in in place. Cut off the excess and secure it with a drop of glue. Also, don't forget to wrap some thread to the cords that you'll use to tie the necklace to your neck so they wont unravel!












At this point you could finish it off with just one tube or make it a bracelet by doing it shorter. If you want to learn how I did mine, keep reading.


Step 7: Make as many tubes as you wish and the length that you like. I cut mine in a degradé so they would go from largest to smallest. 













Step 8: Align your tubes and secure them in the center with a band of tape. This will make the weaving much easier to manage. The weaving will be diagonally as the arrows point out. The more diagonal inwards, the more closed the necklace will be (you can see the difference between both necklaces above). 









Step 9: Here I have shown it separated from the pack for your better viewing. You will take the first or last tube and tie some thread. Secure it with a droplet of glue. Make sure the knot is facing the backside of the other tube and is not exposed. We want this to look as neat as possible.









Step 10: Start interlacing the thread over and under successively until you reach the other end and back. Pull the thread taut, cut off the excess and secure at the end with a discreet knot. Put a dab of glue. Do this as many times you wish making sure it looks neat. Do this along the length of the necklace until you reach the outer ends. I did it about every inch or so (where the shortest tube ended successively).










And you're done!



I am seriously over the moon with how these turned out! I think I'll make myself many more in all the colors available! This statement necklace is fun and bright and well... just pretty darn bold! I wore mine out today to work and at the post office, people actually stopped my to ask me where I got it! They couldn't believe it when I told them I'd made it. It took me about 4 hours to make the big one and just a one hour for the smaller one. This is a necklace that must definitely be worn with a simple outfit, as it says so much on its own. You really wouldn't want to steal its thunder. If you're going neon, wear it with neutrals for the extra pop! Now, oblig fashionista picture~~~~



If you'd like to know about my makeup, for my eyes I used Wet n' Wild's Mega Liner in Black (best liquid liner ever), Estée Lauder's Roseberry, Ben Nye's Red eyeshadow, Nars Desire blush, Makeup Forever's Star Powder in 44, Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk, Milani's Liquif'eye Liner in Black and Benefit's Bad Gal Lash mascara. Nars Casino bronzer for contour and for my lips I went full blown Sephora's Hot Hues lip balm in Crazy Coral.

Swing by I Spy DIY for more amazing DIY ideas! I myself am obsessed! Don't forget to check out my Facebook page and Like to stay posted on daily updates, follow me on Tumblr and also on Instagram! I'm LilaLane. Feel free to tag me or post on my Facebook wall your own tribal creations!

Also, I really want to thank you all for your support! I'm more than humbled by the amazing feedback I've been getting from you all. I'm more than open to any suggestions and requests on how I can improve my blog because after all, the biggest joy I get from blogging is seeing you guys enjoy my posts, appreciate them and try them out. Thank you all so much and help me spread The Fashion Skitch joy! Share away! So many more goodies to come!

6 comments:

  1. Such a cool idea!! I'm from the Caribbean, and this is exactly the type of thing that's big and in vogue(tribal and gypsi-ish) but you somehow gave it that extra OOMPH! I'm definitely gonna try it out with some friends

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! Thanks so much for the compliments! I'm literally wearing this necklace everywhere! Try it out with your friends. I'd love to see the results! You can tag me on Instagram or post them on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheFashionSkitch. <3

      Where in the Caribbean are you from? I'm from Puerto Rico!

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  2. This is such an awesome post!! I love DIY projects :)
    Merrybellyland777.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind words! I'm obsessed with DIY! Hey, if you like, you can enter my giveaway. http://thefashionskitch.blogspot.com/2012/06/big-100-giveaway.html

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