Twisted Beaded Necklace Knockoff

I love our little community here! It’s so fun to connect with you all on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

I especially love it when you find awesome projects and inspiration – and that was definitely the case with this project!
One of my friends, Heidi found our darling inspiration necklace on Pinterest MONTHS ago and we’ve been discussing how it needs to be a knockoff since then.
Well I finally got my act together to create this necklace – and I’m so glad!!

I love the scruffy-beaded-wrapped look of it – and of course I stuck with neutrals so I can wear it with anything!

The inspiration necklace is by Alice and Olivia – I don’t think it’s available anymore but the price I found was $138!!

So mine’s a little simpler – but I like it more I think – I am drawn to the look of the original but I think all that fringed yarn would bug me after a while. :)
But the cool thing is – if you like it bigger and fluffier – you can use the steps here and just keep adding materials!!

Ready to make your own? This one is fun!

You’ll need:
1/2″ cording – 18″
Fabric scraps – I used linen and a light rayon/crepe fabric
small beads
bead cording
jump rings and crimp beads
chenille yarn
small chain – 80″ of black chain, 40″ of silver chain
Ribbon for ties – 2 yards

Start with your cording. I went with something a little thinner – but if you want a chunkier necklace you can start with a thicker cording as your base.
Cut your cording 18″ long. You can hold the ends in with a little bit of scotch tape.

Start by tearing a thin strip of linen – about 1/2″. To tear your fabric, just make a slice towards the top, then pull the fabric apart.
It will give you a nice, straight strip with lovely frayed edges.

Tack your linen to one end of the cording and wrap the entire piece of cording.

Now tear another piece of linen. Cut a strip about 1″ wide of your contrast fabric (mine was the crepe). Tack again at the top and wrap your cording much more loosely.
My strips were about 20″ long.

Next up we’re going to get the bead strands ready. Cut a length of bead cording about 28″ long. Add a crimp bead to the end, loop this end around a closed jump ring, then loop the strand back into the crimp bead.
Clamp the bead flat with a pair of flat nosed pliers.

Add your beads to the strand, until the length of beads measures 20″. Finish the strand with another crimp bead and jump ring.

Make another bead strand with a slightly different color bead. This one should also be 20″ long.

Cut 6 lengths of your chain – 20″ long each. Add the lengths of chain to the jump rings of your first bead strand.

Sew one of the chain/bead jump rings to one end of the cording.

Wrap the chain and bead strands loosely around the cording and sew the other jump ring to the other end of the cording.

Cut two more strips of crepe – about 1″ wide each. Sew to one end and wrap these loosely too. Sew the other end down.

Cut 4 lengths of chenille or other slightly fuzzy yarn. Knot them four strands together and tack them to the end of your cording.

Wrap and sew these yarn strands as you’ve done the other materials.

Sew the last strand of beads to the end of your cording. Wrap it opposite the other strands so it will help hold everything in place.

To finish off your necklace we’re going to add ribbon ties.  Tie a knot in your ribbon 10″ from one end.

Sew the knot to one end of your wrapped cording. Wrap the short end of your ribbon around the top 1″ of the cording strand.
Make sure all your sewing is covered – you want the ribbon to be pretty tight. Tuck the end under on the back side and sew it down.
Tack down any other little folds or sections that are loose.

Above the knot, cut your ribbon about 25″ long.

Repeat with the other side of the cording – And you’re all finished!!!!!!!!

I love all the different textures! What do you think?

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