DIY: Straw Collar Necklace

I wanted to make a collar necklace using Tape Straw Beads that would be bold and graphic. In order to make all of the rows of beads stay together as one piece I used a strip of plastic canvas as a spacer bar.

SUPPLIES

• Drinking straws
• Scissors
• Colored tapes
• Crochet string
• Plastic canvas
• Pliers
• Chain
• Closures
• Jump rings
• Clasp
• Glue
• Ruler

DIRECTIONS

— 1 —

Make the Tape Straw Beads.

I created 7 rows of beads in 7 columns. In order to create a curve to the necklace, Columns A, C, E and G’s beads increase in length with each row.

— 2 —

Cut the plastic canvas to be one hole wide and 13 holes long. Trim any ragged edges with scissors. Repeat this 7 more times.

While there are 7 rows of beads, the plastic canvas spacer bar has 13 holes; the bead rows will be threaded through every other hole of the plastic canvas spacer bar.

— 3 —

Cut crochet string about 24 inches long. Repeat 20 more times.

I used three lengths of string per row. It probably depends on the thickness of the string you use, but the combined thickness of those strings per row makes the knot at the end of the row large enough not the slip through the plastic canvas hole in the spacer bar.

— 4 —

Position the Tape Straw Beads the way you want the design to look like.

This will help when threading the beads so you place the beads in the right order (which is important if there’s a color pattern or for placement of different sized straw beads).

The beads will be threaded one row at a time, starting from Column G and ending on Column A. The string goes through each bead from the left side (which will maintain the order of the beads so that Column G remains the farthest right column).

— 5 —

From the left, thread a plastic canvas spacer bar past the middle of the string.

— 6 —

From the left, thread the farthest right top tape straw bead (Row 1, Column G bead).

— 7 —

Repeat threading from the left, alternating with a plastic canvas spacer bar and the next tape straw bead (going left from Column G and ending on Column A) until the entire row is finished.

— 8 —

For the next row, place string through the plastic canvas spacer bead on the far right; thread the string through the next odd numbered hole.

Match the two rows string ends together.

— 9 —

From the left, thread the farthest right bead (Row 2, Column G), onto the second string.

— 10 —

Repeat threading the thread through the plastic canvas spacer bar alternating with the next tape straw bead for the row.

— 11 —

Repeat the threading process of Steps 8-10 for the next five rows.

— 12 —

Center the tape straw beads and plastic canvas spacer bars on the string.

— 13 —

On the left side, carefully place a tight knot against the plastic canvas spacer bar at the end of each row.

— 14 —

Make sure the beads are pushed to the left side (so that it’s fairly taut), and then place a knot against the plastic canvas spacer bar at the end each row on the right side.

— 15 —

Trim each row’s string so that it has about 0.25 to 0.375 of an inch end.

— 16 —

Apply a little glue to the closure end (to help keep the string in place) and place the string ends of one row inside. Crimp the end down with pliers. Repeat this with all 13 ends.

— 17 —

With pliers, connect an appropriate length of chain (with jump rings if necessary) to a row's closure. Connect the other side of the chain to the clasp. Repeat this for the other 13 ends. Straw Collar Necklace complete.