Stiff Felt and Beaded Necklace

Step 1

Anyone can make a chunky, stiff necklace like this. Making it doesn't require any special skills or tools.

Step 2

You will need:
• seed beads;
• large rhinestones;
• thread;
• two pieces of felt.

For tools—scissors, chalk, and hot glue.

To start, sketch the future necklace on paper. Transfer it onto the felt.

Step 3

Directly on the felt, divide the necklace into sections and arrange the rhinestones on it.

Step 4

Attach the rhinestones with hot glue. If any glue seeps onto the felt, don't worry. The seed beads will cover it all.
To start, bead around the rhinestones using a backstitch. Sew the beads on one by one. They should sit as close to each other as possible. When the circle is finished, pass the needle and thread through the entire beaded circle once more. This will help the beads lie more evenly. Bead around all the rhinestones this way.

Step 5

Once the rhinestones are beaded around, stitch along the section lines drawn on the felt in the exact same way. Don't forget to pass the thread through them a second time as well.

Step 6

Now randomly fill the entire space with seed beads.

Step 7

Now you can move on to finishing the back. To do this, fold the two pieces of felt together. In my case, the necklace is positioned on one half of a square piece of felt, so I just fold it in half. That part isn't critical.

Step 8

Coat everything with hot glue and press firmly together. Hot glue dries quickly, so it's best to glue the piece in stages.
Trim the excess felt. As you can see, the glue hasn't completely soaked through the felt, so the edges need to be glued down further.

Step 9

Now, using sharp scissors, trim away the excess felt right along the edge of the embroidery. The necklace is ready.

All that's left is to attach the jewelry findings. Using something sharp, like an awl or scissors, punch a small hole and install a small jump ring in it. Do the same on the other side, and attach a chain to them. If you don't have this kind of hardware, you can simply sew on a silk or satin ribbon.