Fabric jewellery

Combine strips of material to create on-trend accessories It's easy to make stylish professional-looking jewellery at home, as this set from Lisa Steed Davey proves. Simply cut and stitch strips of cotton and silk and combine with beads, findings and shop-bought bangles to make a striking collection

Essentials

Fabric: silk dupion, brown, pink, cream; Amy Butler Daisy Chain cotton; 1m of each
Ribbon: green, 5m
Beads: seed, green, brown, pink; handfuls for decoration
Necklace cup ends
Extension chain
Jump rings, 8mm, six
Curtain rings, nine
Bangles
Fabric glue
Beading needles

Dimensions List

Necklace: 70cm long
Bangles: Custom sized
Earrings: Custom sized

Stitch The Strips

Create the strips to form the various pieces of jewellery. Working along the bias of the fabrics (see Sew Smart), cut numerous 4cm x 70cm strips from each. Make sure to cut the strips from a selection of colours to get an even look when finished.
Fold each strip in half lengthwise with right sides facing and machine stitch all the way along the long open edge of each, leaving a 3mm seam allowance. Turn each strip through with a loop turner so that right sides are facing outwards.

Make a Fabric Necklace

Take two folded and stitched strips from each of the following fabrics: the brown silk dupion, the green ribbon, the Amy Butler printed cotton, the pink silk dupion and the cream silk dupion. Lay them out and press to neaten. This will be used to create the main body of the necklace.
Place all of the strips together in a group, aligning the ends of each. Hand stitch the strips together at each end, wrapping the tail end of the thread around the bunch of strips to tighten them and draw together. Glue a necklace cup end into place on top of one end, leaving the other unfinished.

Add Ring Decorations

Lay out five curtain rings, and wrap each in a different stitched fabric strip, using fabric glue to secure the material into place. Hand stitch a selection of seed beads around the edge of each, stacking them in the following order: pink, brown, green.
Once the fabric glue has completely dried, thread the five curtain rings onto the necklace and push into the desired place. Glue a necklace cup onto the remaining necklace ends, concealing the edges of the strips. Attach an extension chain to one cup end and a bolt clasp to the other, to finish.

Create a Pair Of Matching Earrings

Lay out two curtain rings and wrap them in pre-stitched strips of pink dupion, using fabric glue to secure. Repeat, to cover another two curtain rings in Amy Butler printed cotton strips.
Once the glue is totally dry, lay one plain pink-covered ring and one printcovered ring next to each other, butting them together. Hand sew together, working through the fabrics to secure. Stitch a selection of seed beads to the edge of the print-covered ring to decorate.
Attach a jump ring to the plain pinkcovered ring, then another jump ring to that, then an earring wire. Repeat on the second earring to create the pair.