Have a Frugalicious Christmas (a Saturday series)

Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 8:00 pm

Can you braid? Then you can accomplish this weeks project.

It’s an almost free project. As a matter of fact, it cost me nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada.

This weeks project is a scrappy necklace.

I saw these here a while back and bookmarked the site, planning on making them right away.

That didn’t happen.

However, when I was going through my bookmarked pages recently I spied them again and though they would make a perfect frugal Christmas gift or project.

Here’s what you’ll need:

3 different colors or patterns of scrap fabric. You’ll want long strips for this.
Good scissors
6 rubber bands or hair binders (you’ll get these back)
sewing machine or needle and thread

Step 1:
You’ll want to cut 3 long strips of fabic out of each scrap fabric piece about 1 1/2 inches wide – or thinner if you want a less chunky necklace. You’ll end up with 9 long pieces. Make them any length you want, just remember that your finished project will be half the length of your initial strips.

Step 2:
Rubber band each set of 3 together.

Step 3:
Braid each set, creating 3 long braided strips. You’ll want to tuck one end under your foot to keep a little tension on it.

Step 4:
Sew your ends together when your braid is complete. Trim your edges.

Step 5:
I took a small ribbon and tied all three strands together at the seams when I was finished. I didn’t want the necklaces all sliding around on their own.

I purposely made a necklace to bring some more color to the purple shirt I’m wearing in the picture. However, if Ryan had been okay with me cutting up his red t-shirt, which he wasn’t, I would have created a Christmas colored one. A red short one, a white medium, then another red long one. I think it would have looked cute with a green shirt. I’ll have to keep an eye out for some cheap, bright red fabric so I can make one soon.

I also think it would be easy to fashion a belt or bracelets using the same technique.

These necklaces are perfect friendship projects. You can have your daughters create them for friends as Christmas gifts and it won’t cost much at all – nothing, in fact, if you have any scrap fabric laying around or old clothes you don’t wear anymore. I used a pair of bright colored pants, a little girl’s dress that I don’t know where it came from, and a scrap olive green fabric.

It took about 30 minutes to complete and really didn’t require much skill at all.

And I really like them!