Gift Making: Bead & Fabric Necklace (Serving Others)

For this activity we made necklaces with fabric and wooden bead balls. Our plan was for each of the girls to make 2 and be able to have a second one to give away as a gift... turned out only having time to make one, but I think the girls were very happy with thier one :).

What you will need:

1. Pieces of fabric that are about 3 inches wide and 40 inches long (or how long the fabric comes). Bascially very long and skinny pieces. A tip: the smaller the print, the cuter the necklace. Where the piece is only 3 inches wide, you only get to really see the fabric if the print is smaller. Small polka-dot and stripes seem to be really cute.
2. Beads that are about 20 mm. This is the best deal I could find for them online: http://compare.ebay.com/like/110832991940?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y
3. Sewing machine and thread
4. And if you're really good... an iron (we skipped ironing)

What you do:

1. Fold the piece of fabric in half the long way and sew it together with the wrong side out
2. Using a safety pin to help feed through, put the fabric right side out
3. Now that you have a tube, put some beads in the tube and tie knots between them
4. After you have your beads where you want, sew the two ends together... and Voila!

One of the girls sporting a few of the necklaces. Sorry it's blurry!


 

Sewing the fabric together. It was important to me that each girl did the sewing themselves. Some of the girls were nervous while others were experienced sewers. I think it was really good for the girls who have never used one before... some of them were at least able to learn that there is a peddle that drives the machine. 





The smaller the print on the fabric, the better you will be able to see it once it's a necklace





A very pregnant me helping one of the girls turn her fabric right side out.