Friday, January 13, 2012

DIY- Chevron Necklace

Lately, I have been totally obsessed with anything chevron or zig zag patterned. Over the past few months I have acquired anything from clothing to housewares in different chevron patterns and colors. I wanted to follow last weeks post with a repurposed DIY, so I created this necklace. For this project I used number 6 plastic, which is commonly used in take out boxes from restaurants, or in other terms...shrinky dinks! To see how I created it just keep reading!
Supplies needed:

Pliers
Chain
Clasp
Jump Rings
Chevron Clip Art or Pattern
Permanent Marker
No 6 Plastic- it will say somewhere on the container
150 Grit Sandpaper
Embossing Heat Tool
Paper Punch- not pictured
Scissors- not pictured

The pattern I made 6" in length (after shrinking it was 2"). You'll want to make it much larger than what you want your final project to be since it will shrink.

First, you'll need to prepare your plastic by roughing up the surface with 150 grit sandpaper.
Trace your pattern onto the plastic.
Cut pattern out.
Color both sides with a permanent marker.
Punch holes in each end using a paper punch. This will be where you attach your chain.
This is what it will look like after you have heated it up and made it shrink. Tip- when you are heating it up, it may curl. Don't worry it probably will work itself back out. If not stop heating and straighten back out, then heat back up. You'll want to straighten it out while it is still warm and pliable.
Attach jump ring and chain to each side of the chevron.
Add jump rings and clasp to the end and your done.
I have to say, I am pretty happy with the end result. This is a perfect DIY if you want to try out some different chevron patterns or any other patterns, and it is a perfect way to repurpose something that would otherwise go in the trash.

♥ Jen

1 comment:

Erin @ Thanks, I Made It said...

love it! i'm going to have to play with shrinking plastic soon. thanks for the tips.