There are millions of beads available to a person who loves to make jewelry so there are no limits to the combinations of beads you can put together. Whether you’re using large beads or small, colored beads or clear, any jewelry piece you make will still feature beads that others can see. They look beautiful but, if you’d like to do something a little different for once, hide your beads. Not where you can’t find them of course, but hide them on the necklace itself. When you wrap beads with cloth you can make a stunning necklace in little time.
The easiest way to make the hidden beads necklace is to first cut a long rectangle of fabric. A good choice for cloth is chiffon, lace, or another lightweight material. The length can vary, depending on the style of necklace you want. For example, if you want the fabric necklace to be tied in a bow, in the back, cut the fabric to be 36″ long. However, if you want the arrangement to fasten with a snap or Velcro, cut the cloth to go around your neck, with a couple of inches to spare.
Large beads work best for making the unique necklace. Wooden beads, metal ones, or even plastic beads, are suitable. Cut the fabric to be wide enough to wrap around the chosen bead, with a quarter-inch to spare.
The easiest way to make the necklace is to fold the fabric, lengthways, and sew down the long side, opposite the fold. Turn it right side-out. Slide the first bead into the tube and position it in the center of the fabric. Tie a knot on each side of the bead. Then, slide another bead into the tube, and tie a knot beside it. Continue in this manner, adding beads one at a time, and creating a knot between each set of beads. Add enough beads to cover just the front of the necklace. If you’re using Velcro or a similar closure, fold the ends over, and sew across them. Attach the snap, Velcro, or other closure.
If you’d like to further embellish the necklace there are lots of ways to do that. You can wrap a chain around the necklace, and over each knot, then secure the chain ends with a couple of stitches. Or, tie a ribbon around each side of each knot.
If you have no way to sew, lay the fabric strip out flat, then center a bead on it. Wrap the fabric around the bead and tie a knot on each side of it. Position the next bead and wrap the fabric around it, then tie a knot. Continue wrapping each bead, individually, until the necklace is finished. Just take care to make sure the raw end of the fabric stays to the back of the beads.
The wrapped beads necklace is much different than other beaded necklaces so you’ll enjoy making something a little more unique. And since it’s so quick to make, go ahead and whip up a few for some friends and family members. They make love gifts.