Accordion Necklace

Have you seen the stylish accordion necklace yet? Oh, if not, you're in for quite a treat when you make one. With lots of options for the ribbon itself, as well as many choices for beads, there are no limits to the different designs you create. Make an elegant necklace to wear with an evening gown or just a fun number to wear with jeans and a tee.

Wired ribbon makes it easy to do the accordion fold for the necklace. However, even if the ribbon you have isn't wired, it's not hard to do the accordion fold. You'll need two to two-and-a-half yards of ribbon. Go for a wide design or choose a more narrow type.

For a wired ribbon, simply fold the necklace, back and forth, to create an accordion-style design, on the front two-thirds of the ribbon. The wired ribbon holds its shape so it's a simple matter to fold it. Then, spread the folds apart a little, and you're ready to add the beads.

Choose pearls from a strung necklace, pearl beads from a craft store, or another variety of beads. To begin, thread a needle, bring the ends together, and tie a knot. Go in through the first hill in the accordion and push the needle from one side to the other. Position a bead in the valley between the first two hills, and push the needle through the bead. Take the needle through the next hill, position a bead in the valley, and push the needle through it. Continue in this manner to sew one bead between each hill of the accordion fold.

If you're not using wired ribbon it can be slightly more challenging. Just make a single fold in the accordion, push the needle through it, and then through the bead. Bring the ribbon up to create the next hill, and push the needle through it, as well as the next bead. With this technique, you'll create one hill of the accordion at a time.

The accordion design can wrap all the way around your neck, or can be made to go from one side of the neck to the other. With the latter design, leave the remaining part of the ribbon to tie the necklace on, in the back. No matter what design you do, run the needle back through all of the hills and beads, so that you strengthen the design.

Don't want to do all of that sewing? Use wired ribbon, fold it in an accordion manner, and glue a bead between each fold. Other things you could sew or glue between the folds include marbles, foil balls, or tiny pom-poms.