Hiya guys! Happy Sunday!
I thought for this week that I would
do another post on leftover bits ’n’ bobs! Like my post on ‘What you can do with leftover loombands’, it will be using mainly pieces of broken jewellery, random keys etc.
I originally thought of doing this
when I was sorting through my jewellery box to see what I haven’t worn in ages,
and found that quite a few pieces were broken and/or missing jewels. I thought it would be a cool idea to try and
do a wee DIY using those items.
Well, I decided I would make a wind
chime/wall hanging piece! I just used
what I had in my craft supply box so I didn’t spend anything for this DIY. Yaldi!
So, I made three different wind
chime/wall hangings using different materials and things. The thing that all three have in common is
that I used this technique called macramé - which is basically a type of
decorative knotting, like in friendship bracelets! You create the designs and patterns by tying
knots in the string. It’s really quite
fun to do!
I really just used basic macramé
knots – the square knot and the horizontal double half stitch. The links to the videos I looked at to do these
knots are at the end of my post.
Anyway, I created three designs which
I will show you now…
Wind chime/wall hanging #1
What I used
-
One fat jumbo straw
-
Jute string
-
An elephant earring
(that lost its other half)
-
Beads (off two broken necklaces)
Steps
1) Firstly, I cut five pieces the string
to the length I wanted for the piece.
2) I started off putting strings onto
the straw, and then used the horizontal double half stitch to create the top of
the design (video source 2).
3) I then used the simple square knot to
put more design on the string (video source 1).
4) I attached the elephant on the two
middle strings. I did this to make it
the centre piece of the wind chime/wall hanging.
5) Next, I used the circular beads and
tied them onto the rest of the hanging strings.
Wind chime/wall hanging #2
What I used
-
One plastic tumbler rim
(the rest wasn’t needed)
-
Fluorescent green string
-
Jute string
-
Beige thread
-
Embroidery thread (a red
colour and a pink colour)
-
A feathery earring (that lost its other
half)
-
A triangular earring (that lost its other
half)
-
A set of round earrings
(tarnishedL)
-
One ring for hanging the
design
Steps
1) Firstly, I cut the rim off the
plastic tumbler, so I had a ring shape.
2) I used the fluorescent green string
and wound it around the ring to cover the plastic. I then used super glue to attach the end
string and cut off the excess when it was completely dry.
3) Next, I used the jute string and cut
12 identical pieces to the length I needed.
4) I attached the 12 pieces of jute
string using a basic knot, making sure to space them out evenly around the
ring.
5) As the embroidery thread, when you
buy it, comes in a set of six threads I had 12 pieces of thread in total. I split the thread into pairs – three pairs
of red and three pairs of pink – and cut them the same length as the jute
string. I then tied each pair on to the
ring, evenly spaced around the ring, keeping them as close to the jute string
as I could. I really just wanted them in
the design to give the jute string a little bit of colour.
6) I then used the square knot again (video
source 1), to get the detail in the string. I made quite a few knots in this one that it
ended up looking like a basketball net because of the circular top.
7) Where the last knots I made were, I
added a few more square knots on the same pieces of string (like friendship
bracelets), just to have a difference in the design.
8) After I finished the knots, I began
putting on the details to the string – the feathers and the gold leaf designs.
9) On three extra strings, I tied one earring
to each and then joined the three strings together at the top.
10) Lastly, I finished the top detail of
the wind chime/wall hanging (the bit that is attached to the ring used for
hanging) by using the square knot as well. And then using the detail in step 9, I
attached it to the ring with some beige thread - I put this on the inside of
the whole design so it would clink together amongst the feather and string
outer detail.
Wind chime/wall hanging #3
What I used
-
One plastic tumbler rim
(the rest wasn’t needed)
-
Jute string
-
Random keys
-
Beads (from a broken necklace)
Steps
1) Like the second wind chime/wall
hanging, I cut the rim off the plastic tumbler, so I had a ring shape.
2) I used the jute string and cut 10
identical pieces to the length I needed.
3) I attached the pieces of jute string to
the ring shape, keeping them close together at the bottom.
4) I then used the square knot again (video
source 1) to get the detail in the string. This time I created a triangular design onto
the string.
5) After I finished knotting the string,
I then attached the details. I didn’t
have enough keys for each string, so to the free strings I added eight little
wooden beads.
That was all that really went into
the making of the wind chimes/wall hangings! It’s pretty simple, fun and creative to do…AND
you can use anything you like really.
Well I hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks for reading!! J
Have a fab week and take care! Xxx
YouTube video sources:
DIY Macrame: Square knot (left-facing) by Chatelaine
DIY Macrame: Horizontal double half hitch by Chatelaine
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