i love love love these Neon Braid jewelry pieces and wear mine all the time! but sadly they are too labor intensive to keep making loads of and so i'm putting them on SALE in the shop and did a DIY video so you peeps can make your own if you want! to purchase a Mr. Kate made Neon Braid - shop them here at discounted prices. sale ends 9/30/11
what you'll need:
- stretchy, colorful bathing suit fabric, some solid and some patterned, cut in 3/4" to 2" strips, depending on how fat you want your piece.
- wire - i like to use 18 gauge, half hard, brass wire, get it at your local bead store
- 1 clasp and 2 or 3 jump rings, depending on if there is a jump ring on your clasp
- wire cutters
- pliers
- scissors
- cut your 4 stripes
- knot them together and fishtail braid them until you have your desired length. watch my fishtail DIY video here. i recommend 7.5" for a bracelet, 20" to 22" for a necklace and 35" to 38" for the long rope. make sure you have excess to end it, about 6 inches extra length.
- cut about 4 inches of your wire and wrap around the end of your piece, leaving about 3 inches in unbraided tails of fabric. cinch the wire with the pliers to seal the braid.
- put a large jump ring around one of the center tails of fabric and fold the fabric over to create a loop around the jump ring. then seal the loop by continuing to wrap with the wire.
- cinch your wire wrap, trim your ends and tamp down the ends into the fabric with the pliers so there are no sharp points.
- open your jump ring and place your clasp on one side.
- repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 on the other end of your bracelet, necklace or rope and use a jump ring instead of a clasp to finish the piece.
