Bow Necklace

 A few years ago, I purchased this black and grey faux pearl bead and silk ribbon necklace that was made by Lanvin (side note: I LOVE finding unique jewelry pieces secondhand!). It has been one of my favorite jewelry pieces ever, and I have worn it with so many outfits. It just gives that “little something extra” to any style of outfit. I thought it would be fun to have another one, but why not make it myself? I purchased 1 1/2 yards of 1 1/2"white silk ribbon from a shop in town, ordered 42 8mm beads, and set about making it. (Note: I chose to use clear thread, which I will say was a real pain to work with, and I would not use it again for this type of project).

I started by tying a knot about 19“ down. I then took a length of thread, tied a knot in the end so it was double, and threaded my needle on the folded end. This way I could have a doubled thread for strength, but could pull my needle off easily to undo anything without cutting it off and starting over. I pulled my thread through the knot of ribbon to hide it, and then alternated between three beads and going through the ribbon, twisting it as I went. There isn’t really a “right” way, but I did discover that keeping the ribbon closer to the beads worked better (i.e.: don’t put too much of a gap before you thread it through again). 

When I reached where I wanted to stop, I knotted off the thread to the ribbon, and then knotted the ribbon around it to hide it. I then cut the ends of the ribbons at an angle to make it more attractive (and put a little fray check on them) and my new necklace was ready to wear. Just tie a pretty bow, and it’s ready to add some sparkle to the outfit of your choice!