Handmade Jewelry Braided Necklace

Print this articleMany children enjoy crafts that involve making jewelry by hand. While some jewelry crafts can be quite involved, such as making beads from clay and similar activities, making basic jewelry such as bracelets, anklets and necklaces is ideal for young children. Handmade necklaces, which are always a popular option, make the perfect rainy-day craft. Braiding lengths of jewelry cord and other materials, which kids can master with practice, adds interesting detail to these projects.

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Handmade braided necklaces can be made from a wide variety of materials. Jewelry cord can be purchased in different colors and is the material normally chosen for making items such as necklaces. If you do not have jewelry cord on hand, braided necklaces can be made easily using household materials such as yarn and string. Lengths of leather cord in shades of brown lend a different, more rustic look to braided necklaces; necklaces made from leather cord could, for example, be paired with a classroom unit on Native Americans.

Braiding

Braiding is a simple skill that children will be able to employ in a wide variety of craft activities. Take three equal lengths of jewelry cord and cross the strand on the left over the strand in the middle, so that it becomes the new middle strand. Next, cross the strand on the right over the newly-formed middle strand, and pull the lengths of jewelry cord tight. Repeat this process, crossing the strands over one another and pulling them taut, until you reach the end of the cord.

Procedure

To create a handmade braided necklace, take three equal lengths of jewelry cord, or your preferred material, and tie a knot approximately two inches down from the top. Tape the jewelry cord to a hard surface such as a table and braid the three lengths together until there is only two inches of jewelry cord remaining. Tie another knot to secure your braided necklace; the extra length at either end will be used to secure the necklace around your neck.

Pendants and Beads

Add detail to handmade braided necklaces by threading pendants or colorful beads onto the braid before tying it around your neck. Add a number of colored beads in an interesting pattern, such as that of the rainbow, or choose a pendant that represents something important to you, such as your faith, astrological sign or favorite animal. Necklace pendants and beads can be purchased from craft stores.

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Handmade Art Jewelry and Felting

Natural felt made from wool is best suited for these crafts.

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Combine the techniques of handmade jewelry and felting into wearable art. Felt fabric itself can be used or wool roving, which is cleaned and combed wool that is ready for spinning into yarn, can be formed into felt pieces to be worn. Most of the projects are simple enough for beginning crafters to accomplish on their own.

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One of the simplest ways to craft felt into jewelry is to fabricate felted beads. Wad together a handful of natural wool roving in your favorite color or add several colors together. Dip your hands into warm water and then rub the wool in your hands. Pull the wool into a rope and cut it into thick pieces with a pair of scissors. Roll the pieces onto a bar of soap and rinse with hot water. Shape it into a ball to finish the bead. Thread the beads onto embroidery floss or thin cord to fashion a necklace or a bracelet.

Scraps

Utilize scraps of felt into a handmade necklace. Cut your scraps into different sizes of squares and rectangles between 1/2-inch wide to 3 inches wide. Punch out a small hole in the center of each piece. Thread a leather or silk cord alternating through the felt fabric and metallic-colored beads. Secure a clasp on the end of the cord to create a felt necklace or bracelet.

Locket

Construct a needle felt locket to wear around your neck. Cut out a piece of felt fabric that fits into a gold or silver locket on a chain. Sketch out a design to add wool roving. Press a small piece of colored wool roving onto the felt and stab it with your needle felting tool to keep it into place. Add more wool roving and stab it with the tool. Spray on water with a drop of mild detergent to keep the needle felting in place. Squeeze a drop of glue into the locket and push the felt piece inside.

Brooch

Design an image for a felt brooch on scrap paper. Cut it out and use it as a template on a piece of felt fabric. Decorate the felt with an embroidered blanket stitch around the felt, which is a type of decorative edging. Glue on beads or stitch on felt applique to the larger piece of felt. Once the felt piece is finished, sew on a brooch pin to the back of the felt.

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