Halloween 2001: you were eight years old, and ready to show up to the class party with your crush in matching outfits. Both of you wore denim from head to toe like Britney and Justin. Particles of body glitter were all over your dress. You never left home without your beaded choker and cherry-flavored lip gloss so that one day, you could kiss your crush.
Fast forward to 2016. You outgrew your Halloween costume, saved your body glitter for Coachella, and replaced your cherry-flavored lip gloss with root beer-scented Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks. Out of all those 15 years from childhood to adulthood, the one thing you kept in constant rotation was your beloved beaded choker.
As fashion’s latest “it” accessory, the choker is a foolproof classic that can complement or dress up an outfit. I love a good choker and own several variations, but what I’m missing is a bedazzled denim choker! Who knew that a strip of denim would sit so pretty on a neck?
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 Strip of denim scraps (use the side that has the serge seams and it’s best to use vintage denim or from a pair of jeans that you customized)
1 E6000
1 Fray Stopper
1 Thread
1 Needle
1 Packs of flatback crystals
2 Packs of Swarovski faceted crystal beads (one small; one big)
1 Chalk
1 Measuring tape
1 Scissors (use the ones that are for fabric only)
1 Shoelace
STEPS:
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Measure the strip and mark it at 11 inches. Since the serge seams have even sides and are 1 inches in diameter, it’s not necessary to mark it.
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Cut the fabric behind the serge seams away. Then, use the fray stopper on all sides.
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Punch a hole close to the edges of the new serge seam strip. Cut the sides of the hole so that you can make some room for the shoelaces.
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Insert the shoelace.
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Use the pack of flatback crystals and arrange them in a line in the middle of the strip. Either glue in place or glue in one line and place the crystals.
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Sew the beaded crystals in a zig zag fashion on the edges of the serge seam. Alternate between big and small crystal each time you sew.
So simple! This project involves nothing more than a bunch of things you can recycle to create a new accessory. From an old shoelace to a pile of fabric scraps, a little can go a long way. As cliché as that sounds, you can never go wrong with tapping into your inner fairy godmother to make the magic out of objects you no longer use. It also feels so good to prevent things from going into the landfill, where the majority of fabric scraps take a long time to decompose/biodegrade after you dispose them. Most importantly, let your originality shine.