Fabric bead necklace

I have been trying to curtail holiday spending - but I still like to give the people dearest to me something really gorgeous, even spectacular. I have some small bits of exclusive, high-end fabrics in my stash: a bit of Liberty tana lawn left over from another project, and a narrow piece of Roberto Cavalli silk charmeuse. and I also remembered reading a Threads article about making fabric necklaces.

This project is extremely fast, and if you have the right fabric, inexpensive. I bought 1 " wooden beads at Michael's. You can spray paint the beads silver or gold if you're using silk georgette or chiffon, and a bit of sparkle will charmingly show through. You can also use styrofoam beads, but I wasn't very happy working with the crumbly texture. Styrofoam has the advantage of being lighter, so your necklace won't weigh on your neck.

Cut the fabric into 5" strips. Piece the strips together until you have enough. I sewed together 2 strips 45 inches in length to yield a long strip 5 inches wide and 89 inches in length.

You want to sew that center seam together very, very well so it won't pop apart when you start knotting the necklace - take my word on that.

You then fold the strip lengthwise and seam the long end. You don't want this seam too bulky but best if it doesn't pop apart. Trim close to the stitching and turn the tube right-side out. Press. You can press over a dowel if you have one handy.

I started by knotting the fabric right in the middle to hide the visible seam. Then just insert the beads and knot tightly after each bead. You might need to practice a bit to get the knots tight enough and keep them close to the beads, but this isn't a high-stress project. You'll be finished in 20 minutes.

When the necklace is as long as you want it, just press the ends neatly, slip-stich closed and tie a neat bow. You can secure the bow with a few stab stitches, if you like. And presto: an elegant and impressive necklace made with under $10 of materials (provided you had the fabric in your stash.)

$15 remakes your wardrobe: Liberty bathrobe

Adding Liberty trim to a terry bathrobe is one of the easiest and fastest projects imaginable and the results are extraordinary, showing that a very small amount of Liberty of London fabric can add a lot of personality to your look. The idea for this project comes from Simple Sewing with a French Twist (also described in a previous post). Ms. Dupuy once again uses British fabric to create what she calls a French look, but never mind the provenance, we love it.

Terry bathrobe detailed with a Liberty print

This project requires just under half a yard of Liberty Tana Lawn. I bought this Liberty print for 50% off when I was in London, so my cost for this bathrobe trim came to under $10. I'm cheating a bit by not including the cost of the bathrobe itself. I bought this one on sale at Land's End for about $35, so overall this is an inexpensive project. And something else that's great: it only takes an hour to complete.

You will need a white or cream terry bathrobe and around half a yard of Liberty Tana Lawn. You can find this at PurlSoho, where they have an beautiful collection, or order fabrics direct from Liberty of London.

Ms. Dupuy gives detailed instructions for this project in her book. This book is great addition to your library - it includes patterns and complete instructions for fifty highly creative and surprisingly easy-to-make projects - and this book is on sale at Amazon for 35% off and it's now $18.15. 

The first step in this project is to preshrink both the bathrobe and the fabric. Make sure to use the same washing method for both. I washed both on warm and dried in the dryer to shrink. I generally wash Liberty fabrics in cold water on the gentle cycle and hang to dry away from direct sunlight - these fabrics are delicate and prone to fading over time. Press the Liberty fabric.

Now you are ready to measure the belt and the cuffs:

Measure the width and length of the belt

Measure the depth of the bathrobe cuff

Measure the circumference of the cuff

Once you have your measurements, add 15 mm or 5/8" seam allowances all around and cut out your fabric.  When you cut out the cuff, you can choose how far you'd like the Liberty fabric to wrap around to the inside of the cuff. You can wrap just one inch or all the way up to the top of the bathrobe cuff, about four inches. This depends on how much fabric you have, and whether you'd like to be able to roll up the cuffs when wearing the bathrobe. 

Once your pieces are cut out, press under the seam allowance at the ends of the belt.

Pressing the belt ends under

Do the same for the cuffs on the top and bottom edges.

Fold the belt fabric in half lengthwise and sew the long edges, leaving the short ends open. Sew the cuff fabric side seams together as well. Press flat to set the stitches, then press open and trim.

Next, slide the terry cloth belt through the Liberty fabric cover. Use a safety pin to guide the terry belt through the fabric. This is a bit fiddly because of the difference in fabric weights. Be careful not to rip the Liberty fabric as you work. Just slide the terry through gently, pulling the a bit of the Liberty fabric along at a time. Don't rush here.

Center the cover seam down the middle of the belt. Now you can topstitch through the center of the belt. I used a slightly longer stitch length, 3.0.

Topstitch down the center of the belt

Now topstitch across the ends of the belt. Press thoroughly (and I needed to steam it to get it flat). Belt finished!

To sew on the cuffs, align one turned-under edge of the Liberty fabric with the top of the bathrobe cuff. There is a line on the bathrobe that you can use as a guide - it's fairly easy to spot. Pin and sew in the Liberty fabric in place, again using a slightly longer than normal stitch length.

Slide the sleeve over your machine arm; 

stitch cuff in place

Now hand slip-stitch the inside of the cuff in place, and enjoy! In another post, I'll explain how to make a darling camisole to match this bathrobe. 

Make a Liberty tie

Thank you very much for writing in with your favorite fabric resources, and thanks also for the comments on tie patterns. 

David Page Coffin now has a pdf available of his instructions for making ties, available for $8.00 from his blog page. This is a great investment - you definitely want to get this if you have any interest in making ties. One-half yard makes two ties, so you can make Liberty ties in silk or cotton for about $12 each (plus, alas, shipping).

I haven't read all of the tie-making guide yet, but it includes crystal clear, hand-drawn illustrations and guidance for selecting the most suitable fabrics. The guide also offers links for websites that offer silk fabric for ties. 

Liberty of London

I recently reviewed Libery of London for PatternReview and I got thinking about Liberty of London fabrics (read the review on their website).  

And if you love Liberty, they are now on Facebook: click here to become a fan.

Liberty of London is a fabulous department store in the center of London. You can find many beautiful things at Liberty - from Arts and Crafts furniture to contemporary lighting to luxe linens to needlepoint patterns. Every department is filled to the brim with exquisite, luxurious, sometimes cutting-edge and often hand-crafted items. Their selection of women's accessories is especially unique and impressive. 

The view from the 4th floor at Liberty

If you are a sewer or a knitter you will head straight up to the third floor where you will find the deliciously delicate tana cotton lawn fabrics for which Liberty is famous, and many beautiful yarns and craft materials. Liberty recently opened an online store where you can shop for fabrics, and what's more shop the fabric sales. If shipping seems prohibitive the fabrics are available in the U.S. as well, for instance from PurlSoho. As of this writing you'll get a great deal on the exchange rate if you buy from London.

Here are some ways to use these fabrics:

Liberty fabrics are perfect for adding adorable details to clothes, and as little as half a yard can take you a long way. Here are some ideas from the French magazine Marie-Claire Idees: use Liberty florals as belts, or on collars or pockets or cuffs. Cover buttons or make fabric flowers. Or adorn an edge with a fine binding. Try these details on plain items (a jeans skirt or trench coat) to personalize and add a feminine touch.

"Wiltshire" floral from 1933...

...can trim a bathrobe 

(this example from Celine Dupuy's sewing book, 

reviewed in a previous post)

"Felicite" in delicate colors...

...can add a sweet detail to jeans...

...or make a keepsake pinafore for a little girl.

(this easy and darling pattern from Ottobre magazine)

Updated Arts and Crafts peacock feathers...

...might make wonderful, soft pillowcases. 

Make a pillowcase, then sew yourself a sweet camisole and pajama pants to match (Jalie has good patterns to try).  You could make a men's tie in silk twill (try Burda's Osman tie pattern) or boxer shorts in cotton (again try Jalie).  

If you'd rather create a fabulous dress: 

"Mrs. Robinson" is a work of art

and would look amazing on this HotPatterns Deco Vibe dress. Maybe the Liberty fabric just goes on the detail. But maybe you need the maxi dress. How to stop? In a follow-up post I'll show you the muslin of this dress. 

But how do I choose which print?

HotPatterns "Deco Vibe" dress