Thursday, January 20, 2011

Flower Necklace Tutorial


Pearls are a favorite of mine. I've had this long (artificial) pearl bead necklace for a very long time. I wear it when it's in style and it lounges in my jewelry collection when it's not. Inspired by Anthropologie, I added a simple silk flower to the necklace.

Here's what you'll need:

bead necklace, really, any length that pleases you
1- 10 inch square of fabric, I used silk duppioni
3-5 small beads, I used fresh water pearl beads
needle, thread
scissors
fray check, if desired
scrap paper and a pencil to sketch your flower


1.  Draw out on paper, then cut from fabric; or cut free hand, four flowers. The two larger ones are about 3 1/2 inches at their widest point, and the smaller ones are 2 3/4 inches wide. 

2.  Apply fray check to the edges, if desired, to prevent fraying.


3.  Thread your needle and pinch the center of one large flower, taking a few stitches to secure the pleats. 
4.  Add the second large flower on top, again taking a few pleats to add dimension to the flower. 

The photo shows the two large flower pieces stacked together.


5.  Add the smaller flower pieces in the same way, pleating and stitching. The flower petals will be very free-form, this is the look you want.


When you have all four petals in place, you'll see the dimension, particularly if you hold it sideways as shown above.


6.  Stitch the beads you've chosen into the center of the flower. I used seed pearl beads in keeping with the monochromatic look I was after, but colored beads or even small buttons would work equally well.



7.  Finally, stitch the flower to your necklace with a couple of stitches that wrap the thread between two beads. Fasten off securely and enjoy wearing your new creation!

18 comments:

  1. Lovely, and thanks for the tutorial! I know I have some silk scraps, I need to make one for a pin for me.
    Susanne.

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  2. What a nice way to spend your time. Very pretty. Cheryl

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  3. This is a GORGEOUS necklace! SO creamy and pretty!

    ~Alison
    http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/

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  4. What a lovely way to change the look of a pearl necklace.
    The tutorial was very easy to follow too.

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  5. Lorrie - I've just emailed you - please check. Your personalized pearls are lovely.

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  6. Neat idea and so pretty!

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  7. What a great idea! Your tutorials are all so easy to follow. Thank you!

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  8. Sooo clever Lorrie! I love it! Thank you for sharing this tip/trick.
    Love,
    Tracey
    x0x

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  9. I looks very pretty on the wood and probably looks great when worn!

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  10. Hi Lorrie,

    thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your silk flower. I have been wanting to make new curtains for my dining room and want to include silk flowers placed randomly.
    Have a lovely day

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  11. These are the necklaces I love....this is so precious. I'm gonna do it! Thank you.

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  12. Looks magnificent! Thank you for the description!

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  13. Lorrie!!! Did you know that One Pretty Thing is featuring this tutorial!!!?

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  14. t a beautiful idea, Lorrie! Such a quick, easy and inexpensive way to change up a necklace...I could see this pretty flower as a brooch, too by adding a pin onto the back!
    Have a beautiful day~
    ;-D Kathleen

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  15. That is so pretty. Very nice!

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  16. Great! Thank you. This was really helpful!

    www.lovelywire.com

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  17. This is a lovely way to just add to a pearl necklace, thanks for the tutorial. This gives me an idea for a craft for my red hat ladies.

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