Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Perler Bead Statement Necklace

Yes.  I'm still on a Perler Bead kick.  I'm sorry.  I can't help it.  I'm the kind of person that likes to finish things off... and so far I've been thwarted from doing just that.  Boo.  Even after all this crafting, I still have like a billion beads left.

A billion!  Ack!  What do people do with all these beads anyway?

So today I'm going to share how I made this statement necklace using Perler beads.  But, full disclaimer here... honestly, I'm on the fence over the results.  Cute?  Or kind of crappy?  I'll let you decide....


Materials:
- 1/8" wide ribbon, cut at 72 inches
- Scissors
- Masking Tape
- Perler beads
- Ruler



Directions:
 1.  Take a moment before you start to come up with your design.  This way you won't have to restring your necklace.

2.  Tape the ends of your ribbon with masking tape so that it's easier to slide the Perler beads through.

3.  String your first bead around 18 inches in so that you'll have enough leftover ribbon to tie the necklace.  To secure the bead in place, slip the ribbon through once, and then loop it around and slip it through again.

Pull tight and you'll get this:

4.  Then, string your beads onto the ribbon.  To make a loop, simply string on all the beads in the loop, and then tie a knot in the ribbon to create a loop.  

5.  Keep stringing and tying knots until you finish your necklace.  When you reach the last bead, attach it the same way you attached the first bead (step 2.)

6.  Cut your masking tape ends off.  Finish the necklace off by adding a bead to both ends.  (Optional:  You could also add a sliding knot.  Directions found here.)
 Cute?  Kiddy?  Crappy?  Ehh... jury's still out.  For me it looks a bit 80s mixed with something tribal.

Slowly, slowly, the Perler pile is dwindling....  muah ha ha ha ha.

Happy crafting!