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DIY: industrial necklace

reblog on tumblr


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m e d i u m ][ 2-3 hours
cost: $20 range
shop at: your house, hardware store, craft or fabric stores
read: the instructions once though before you get started.

Vinyl tubing is officially awesome, because not only can you wrap things around it on the outside, but you can slide things inside and still see them. This project is pretty relaxed because if you make a mistake or want to re-use the pieces for something else, it's really easy to take apart.

The supply list has lots of parentheses because some of the stuff is a bit weirder than usual.

SUPPLIES

- length of ball chain
(I think the one I used was meant for a bathtub drain, but you can also find it in the jewelry section of a craft store)
- plastic gimp
(The stuff you used at camp to make lanyards. I used fluro yellow)
- thin household string or embroidery floss
(I used black and white, then painted the white with a color. It'd be easier to get already colored string)
- neon acrylic paint
(if you want to paint over string like me. I used fluro yellow)

- 1/4" vinyl tubing
- compression unit
- compression sleeves
(They were all next to each other at Home Depot when I found them. A clerk will come over and help if you stand there staring for awhile, haha)

- double-sided tape (for the string wraps)
(scotch brand is good, or you can use the kind mentioned in my foam clutch tutorial)
- liquid household glue (for the string wraps)
- electrical tape or duct tape (I used black)
- scissors
- wire cutters (to cut the ball chain)
- ruler
- measuring tape
- small paintbrush

0. Unwrap and play with the pieces and get familiar with how they work for a few minutes.

1. Measure the circumference of your neck. Add 1" or so to that number. Or, you could take the measurement of a choker-style necklace you have and use that number.

2. Cut a piece of vinyl tubing at that length. (I noticed mine had some funny "NOT FOR ICE MAKER" text printed on it, decided to embrace it, but feel free to be picky and avoid that part when you cut your pieces.) Because it comes all wound up, it lends to the circular shape well.

3. Attach one half of the compression unit to the end of the cut piece of vinyl tubing by sliding in the skinny bit at the end.
 

 4. At the other end of the tube, feed in the ball chain and gimp. I believe I did one after the other, but it might be possible to send them in at once. This step can take a bit of time, but stick with it!

 5. Trim the gimp and ball chain once it's all the way through and hits the compression unit. Slide on the compression sleeves (they look like beads, right?) and slide in the other half of the compression unit.

 6. To finish up, wrap little pieces of tape around parts of the necklace, and doublesided tape (or glue) / string wraps as well. (If you remember the BHBN tutorial, these string wraps are a lot like those.) I find that paint worked well on the string but not so much on the other surfaces.

 7. Doneski! The compression unit is the fastener of the necklace.

BONUS BRACELET


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1. Cut a length of tubing you can fit over your hand onto your wrist. (Use a bangle for reference if needed)

2. Use the techniques from the necklace instructions to decorate! To close the bracelet I used a few layers of tape. (If you're feeling fancy you could pick up a second compression unit and use that as a closure again.)


TIP: This would be a fun project to do with a few friends. One pack of tubing could make several necklaces, just make sure to get extras of the other supplies.

ALTERNATIVE IDEA: If the gimp and ball chain are being difficult, use a pipecleaner (easy to find at craft stores) instead. Black would look great with this necklace, but they come in a lot of colors, if you want to mix things up.

Be sure to check out my other projects!

If you make one, feel free to post a photo on the September Girls Do So Much fan page!

DIY #17
♥ I worked really hard on this tutorial.
It took a long time to prepare.
I wrote out these instructions and took the photos.
So if you see this anywhere else, it's not the original.
1/20/12

The Kooks

Saw The Kooks last night at HoB, maybe I'll post a little about the show later on. So rad. The Postelles were good fun, too. Left them a note in their tour bus door handle after the show, with this url, ahah. Maybe they'll see this, maybe not. Just wanted to say hi via an analogue medium. Had fun waving at you, Hugh!

DIY: instant drapey scarf

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e a s y ][ 20 minutes
cost: free, ideally
shop at: your house
read: the instructions once though before you get started

I got a handmedown henley from a family friend, wore it a few times, then I realized it was really unflattering. Yet really soft. I Absent mindedly made a few cuts, removing the buttons and slicing sleeves. I didn't rock it til much later, when I became more of a risk-taker with my outfit choices. I think you guys will love this!

SUPPLIES

- 1 long sleeve tee
(hopefully it's a color or print you like, and soft fabric a plus)
- scissors

0. HOW TO GET YOUR TEE FO' FREE: wander around your house and ask brothers, sisters, parents, whoever -- if they have an old long sleeve shirt they don't wear or like anymore. Or, even easier, maybe you have one of your own.

1. Cut off the collar and tag. If it has buttons, you can leave those or snip them off.

2. Starting below the neckline, make a long slit that goes 1/3 or so down the front of the shirt. Don't cut the back of the shirt.

3. Sleeves: starting at the cuff, make one cut up the length of the sleeve. Repeat on other sleeve.

4. Done! Here's a visual if you're confused.

[link]

5. Stick your head through what used to be the torso/chest part of the shirt. You can wear it sleeves hanging down, wrapped around, angled, exposed seams, inside out…sometimes I wear mine as an impromptu hood. I bet it could work as a hair-wrap, too! There isn't a wrong way to wear it.

TIP: I've found that smaller sized shirts (hence why snagging a younger sibling's shirt works so well) and thin/tissue knit jersey work really well. Don't flip out about it being "perfect". No such thing. Once it's draped around your neck it'll feel fab :)

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS: Regular tees, or 3/4 sleeves, will probs work too, but they'll be a little different. You could try ripping/snipping funky holes in the shirt to create a pattern. There's a million ways to cut it, as well. Endless options!

[feel free to use my photos in your sets! but please don't edit w/o asking. If you make a scarf of your own, send me a photo!]

be sure to check out my other projects!



♥ I worked really hard on this set. It took a long time to prepare.
I wrote out these instructions and took the photos.
So if you see this anywhere else, it's not the original.
10/10/10

Featured!

I logged on today for kicks, and to my surprise, a link to my typography tutorial was featured in an article in College Fashion! Thank you to the author, and hello to all my new visitors!