I use ratty old t-shirts a lot.

Well, you’ve been waiting patiently.  And I’ve finally finished it.  Despite all odds... ok, there really weren’t any odds against it.  Just lots of other projects and some falling asleep at unplanned times.  

OK!  Today you’re going to make a rolled rosette bib necklace.  

You can see the one I made for my sister here.

Now, a note or two about the style.  I like to use knit for my roses - it’s stretches and twists in just the right way, and I especially like that you can leave the cut edges unfinished because they won’t ravel.  I’ve mentioned before that I like my rolled roses to look shabby, not all clean and perfect.  I think the slightly jagged kind of rolled edges really look like the petals on a rose.  Plus, you can use old T-Shirts, and you know how I like a using ratty old t-shirt for projects!

Ok, these pictures, they stink.  It’s still winter, there’s still no sun and I still craft in the basement.  So, please forgive me.

This is what you’ll need:

knit fabric

felt

thin beading wire

four crimping closures (that’s what they’re called on the bag, anyway.)

four jump rings

a clasp - I used a lobster clasp

needle and thread

pliers

scissors

hot glue gun

Cut your fabric into strips, all about the same width, but varying in length.  You want the roses to sit at the same height on the necklace, but you also want them to be different sizes.

Now, depending on the thickness of your fabric, you may want to fold it in half.  

Then take one end and fold it over on an angle.

Dab some glue so the roll sticks.

Then start rolling it.

Now, you can continue to roll the strip up, just twist it as you go.

Roll the strip about a half turn, and twist, and glue it to the center of the rose.

Roll about a half turn, twist, glue to the center.

Keep going.

I try to vary exactly where the twists happen, so I’m not twisting at the same spot on the flower every single time I turn it.  Just turn and twist to your own aesthetic.

Do this until you reach the end of the strip, or your flower is the size you want.

At the end of the strip, leave just a little unglued,

flip your flower over, spread a little glue on the tail and glue it to the back of the flower.  

Now just make as many as you’ll need for your necklace.

And lay them out to see how you want the necklace to look.

Try a few different layouts, 

until you get the one you want.

You may need to add or delete a few roses.

Take your felt and double it up (just fold in half and glue it together)

Start gluing the flowers to the felt, one at a time.

When they are all glued down, cut roughly around the bunch.

Now, fold the felt back to expose the areas between the flowers.

Dab some glue in between each flower, going just slightly up onto the side of the flower.

Carefully press the flowers together (so the glue doesn’t smoosh up to the front).

Do this between every flower.

Don’t skip this step!  It adds a TON of stability to the necklace.  See, it’s not so floppy and bendy now.

Now you can go around the bunch of flowers and cut the felt off more carefully so you can’t see the felt from the front.

Take your needle and thread and sew a jump ring to one end of the rose cluster, toward the top.

Then do the same to the other side.

Measure your beading wire to the right size - I used the highly technical method of holding the roses up to my neck where I wanted them, and then holding the wire up to the end and cutting it where it met in the back.

Cut 6 lengths of wire.  Three per side.

Take three wires and line the ends up.  Use the pliers to attach a crimp closure to the end. 

Then attach a jump ring to the crimp closure.

Now attach another crimp closure to the other end of the wires.  Attach that crimp closure to the jump ring that’s sewn to the roses.

Now take the other three wires, and attach a crimp closure to those.  Attach a jump ring and the clasp to the crimp closure.

Add the last crimp closure

and attach it to the jump ring on the other end of the roses.

Cut two ovals from your felt.

Hot glue them over the sewn jump rings, just for the sake of hiding our messy work.

And you’re done!

AND you're lucky.  I decided not to subject you to another slightly blurry picture of my double chin.  You’re welcome.

*Be sure to check just below for all the fun parties I link to!