Fabulous felting

Make a style statement with susie johns' felted collar necklace

Susie Johns, MJ Designer

Hand-felted items are strong and hard-wearing, not to mention really stylish! This technique is ideal for making an on-trend collar necklace. Simply find an old jumper, scarf or blanket, or knit a piece yourself using a traditional Shetland yarn, then wash it in your washing machine at 60°C. This causes the fibres to shrink and fuse together, forming a dense, firm fabric. Decorate with a selection of vintage-style buttons for statement style!

Download the template for this project here.

Collar Necklace

1. To create the felted piece for the collar, make sure you start with a piece of knitted fabric made from 100% wool. Look for labels that state: ‘hand wash only’, or ‘cool hand wash’. Cut off any cuffs and welts from sweaters, plus any bulky seams; alternatively, knit your own piece (see How to...). To felt the fabric, wash it in a washing machine at 60°C, with a short spin. Remove from the machine at the end of the cycle (it will have shrunk considerably so do not be alarmed) and, if necessary, gently pull it into shape. Leave to dry flat.
2. Make sure the felted piece is completely dry before cutting out the collar; this may take several days, depending on the temperature and humidity. Cut out a paper template using the free download pattern on http://www.makejewellerymagazine.com as a guide. Pin the template to the felted fabric, then draw around the edge using a lightcoloured pencil or pen. Cut out the shape, saving any off-cuts of felt for smaller projects such as a brooch or pair of earrings. Place the collar flat on your work surface and arrange buttons in groups on the felt, rearranging them until happy with your design.
3. Start stitching the buttons in place on the collar. Use a plain button that you don’t mind hiding as the centre for a group of six small decorative buttons to the right of the central scallop. Once these have been stitched firmly in place, using different coloured threads, place six more small buttons in the gaps between the first six. Then stitch decorative buttons on top of the central one. Look out for large buttons that have a round indentation in the centre, so you can fit a smaller button on top. Repeat at the other side. For the centre, add a stack of four buttons framed by smaller designs at the top and bottom. Embellish the sides with sets of two or three buttons, varying the sizes.
4. Cut two short lengths of ribbon, fold under one end of each to form a neat hem, then stitch to the underside of the collar. Take the stitches right through the layers of ribbon and the felt, then place a pile of two or three buttons on top, at each side, to hide the sewing. Loop the other end of each piece of ribbon through a plastic ring, turn under the ends to form a neat hem and sew firmly, then add a stack of small buttons to hide the stitching. Attach the halves of a large clasp to the plastic rings with jump rings. If you need to make the necklace longer, fasten short lengths of chain to the plastic rings first with jump rings, followed by the clasp.