Free project - Summer Falls necklace

Two symbols that constantly crop up in my work are birds and houses. Perhaps it's the constant internal struggle I feel between longing to spread my wings and explore the world, and wanting to stay tucked up with the comfort and security of home life. Whatever the reason, I adore beads in either of these forms, so I was incredibly excited to see Heather's polymer beads in tiny house form, some of them featuring tiny, intricate nesting birds. The amount of detail that goes into each Humblebead astounds me and these tiny houses are no exception. Here are instructions for how to make this Summer Falls necklace.

Ingredients:

Nesting bird polymer house bead - Humblebeads

Hand dyed chiffon silk ribbon - Sowzere Designs

Enamelled flower bead cap - Gardanne Beads

wooden teeth beads

turquoise czech rondelles

undyed waxed linen cord

copper ball-end headpins

blue waxed linen cord

1. Cut a 10cm piece of 22g wire and turn a wrapped loop at one end. Slide on a polymer bird house bead onto this and close with another wrapped loop. Attach a large jump ring to the top of the house.

2. Take two 22g headpins and slide an enamelled flower bead cap onto both. Use round nosed pliers to twizzle these around to make tendril like forms. Turn a wrapped loop at the top of the flower, using both headpins. Attach this to the base of the house bead before closing. 

3. Snip a short piece of chiffon ribbon, and double knot this to the base of the house bead, over the wrapped loop.

4. Cut an approx. 40cm piece of natural, undyed waxed linen cord. Centre this on the jump ring from step 1. with a lark's head knot. 

5. Knot on 4 turquoise rondelles followed by four wooden teeth to each side, completing each side by knotting onto a 10mm jump ring. You can knot back over the last bead on each side like I have if you wish, for extra security (you can see it in the main picture, on the top RH tooth).

6. Pass the rest of your chiffon ribbon through one of the jump rings from step 4. Take the two tails of ribbon together and pass these through the opposite jump ring. Bind these together with a little blue waxed linen cord. Create a sennit of half hitches and then fastened off at the top with a simple knot. Repeat on the other side of the necklace to create a mirror effect. (Thank you to Erin and Lorelei for this idea from Bohemian-Inspired Jewellery, and to Jo Tinley for her excellent macrame advice in her e-book Macrame, Art Beads and Wire.)

And there you have it - a simple, pretty necklace that slips easily over your head, perfect for every day.

Rebecca is a Scottish jewellery designer and singer, currently living in Manchester, England. You can read more about beads and singing at her blog, songbeads.blogspot.com and see more of her jewellery at songbead.etsy.com.