Easy Lace Filigree and Chain Necklace

I have an exciting new series to tell you about! Over the next few months I am going to be creating projects using the new Cricut Explore™! They are grouping up bloggers as part of a fun little teams and having a competition called Design Space Star. So fun right!

One of the things I was most excited to try out on the Cricut Explore™ was all the “different” materials it can cut. Of course it can do paper and vinyl and all that – but it can also do some many other materials – like felt and fabric and metal and plastic and even wood! Woot! So for my first project I got creative with some plastic sheets for this sweet and easy Lace Filigree and Chain Necklace!
(This post contains affiliate links so if you purchase something from a link, a wee portion goes to support the blog.)

My Design Star team chose the theme Endless Summer for our fashion/gear projects and it was no trouble at all to incorporate the gorgeous colors in the Endless Summer look – that pink and orange are so pretty together. I’ve added in these sweet lace filigrees on the necklace, I think they add such a fun touch! And can you believe they are plastic?

So let’s get started! Here’s your materials list:

• White Plastic Sheet
• 20″ satin cording
• Enamel Colored Chain
• large rhinestone chain
• leather cording
• hemp cording
• E-6000 glue
• large yarn needle
• cording necklace closure
• Cricut Explore
• Lace Image
• Or I (think) you might be able to use my design file for the lace pieces by clicking here: http://us.cricut.com/design/#/canvas/project/19745098

Start by getting your lace pieces ready. I used this ek tools plastic sheet package – the thin plastic worked great!

Put the plastic sheet horizontally on your cutting mat. Open up Cricut Design Space™ and load up the lace image or click the link above. Click Go and the cut window will open up. You’ll need to move your pieces around so they’ll fit on the sheet.

Load your mat in the machine and then you can set your cut settings. Put the dial on custom and then in the window put the setting on Aluminum Metal. Cut the shapes out. I was able to cut these out with only one pass (cut).

Peel off the little lace pieces and then poke out any of the little sections that are still in place in the middle. Those should just pop out. Now you have super cute lace pieces out of plastic!

Now onto the necklace portion! Center the enamel chain on the cording. Begin looping your thin leather cording through the middle of the satin cording, and then through the links of the chain. Sew the ending of the leather cording to the back of the satin cording. Loop these together loosely – if you do it to tightly, the chain will pull and not lay flat. And you will be crabby. Trust me.

Continue sewing until the chain is completely attached to the satin cording. Sew the leather cording to the back of the satin cording at the end.

Cut a length of rhinestone chain just a couple links shorter than your enamel chain. Keep the necklace (cording and chain part) in a necklacey shape (That’s the official term). Run a bit of e-6000 along the side edge of your rhinestone chain. Push the rhinestone up against the chain so the pieces are glued together. Let the pieces set up for about a half hour or so.

Now that our rhinestone chain is held in place we’re going to finish things up. Thread your needle with the hemp cording. Tie the cording on the back of the necklace after looping it through the chain and rhinestone. Sew the chain and rhinestone together like you did the cording and chain. As you go, sew the edges of the lace pieces to the rhinestone chain as well.

Continue all the way around until everything is sewn together. ok seriously? So fun.

Finish off your necklace with a cording closure. This has a wide opening that you can glue the cording into. Add a bunch of e-6000 and push the ends in all the way. Let your necklace dry for a few hours before wearing.

That is it! I love the fun look that the lace filigree pieces add. I can’t wait to make up some snazzy earrings with the same material!

I’ll be updating this with links to all my Team’s Endless Summer projects so you can check out all the inspiration!

Disclosure: This post is part of a collaboration with Cricut. I was provided with a machine in exchange for participation.