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Saturday, August 15, 2015

Thread Heaven

I couldn't resist this project when I found it poking around Mollie Makes, so I made my own:

I made some changes along the way, however.  I used DMC embroidery floss in lots of colors:
oooh ... pretty ...
Because this thread is thicker than the thread used by the Mollie Makes people, I only needed 60 strands instead of 137.  Each skein was just long enough to provide three lengths of 2.3 meters, so that meant 20 colors.
ready to start!
From there I followed the directions until the end; I wanted a proper clasp rather than just tying the ends together.  On the end of the necklace where all the strands were folded in half I took the length of yellow thread holding them together and wrapped it around and knotted it a few more times:

I then opened up an eyepin and hooked the loop around the yellow thread, closing the loop again:
The skinny eyepin is hard to see!
I threaded onto the eyepin a nice, sturdy cone (Bali silver):

and cut the excess wire, finishing with a wire-wrapped loop:

The other end of the necklace was trickier, because it had the cut end of the threads. At the point where I wanted the clasp I tied some red thread around the braids as securely as I could:

and then nervously cut off the rest of the braids:
eek!
I used the ends of the red thread to tie a loose loop that I could use to attach another eyepin:

and finished it off with another cone:
I thought about trimming the ends of the thread, but I kinda like the way it looks like fringe.

To finish the necklace I used a toggle clasp, which I extended on either side with a bit of silver chain.  The original length fit well enough around my neck, but in the summer heat and humidity the necklace felt more like a scarf.


I love it.  So does Beadboy3; he keeps trying to yank it off my neck.

These I'll save for another project.

2 comments:

  1. Stumbled here from the Mollie Makes blog--- this is such a stunning necklace! I apologize for my crafty-ignorance, but I just want to confirm before I purchase materials. If I'm also using DMC embroidery floss, 20 skeins will be enough to make this necklace? And then you just cut each skein in thirds to get the appropriate thickness? Thanks for any clarity you can provide-- once I figure out the necklace, I'm going to experiment with your clasp!

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  2. Thanks! I measured and cut three lengths of 2.3 meters from each skein, which left maybe a foot or two remaining. You could just cut each skein into thirds, saving yourself the trouble of measuring. And yes, I used 20 skeins. If you have any other questions, let me know. And I'd love to see the necklace when you make it!

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