DIY leather corsage necklace

Yesterday I took just a couple of hours for myself 

to make my DIY version of this Sportmax 

val leather corsage necklace that has been in my "inspiration folder" for almost a year.

I must say... 

I'm pretty pleased with the result!

... see for yourself!

picture on the left: my-wardrobe.com ; collage by moi

...and this is how I made it.

(I split the tutorials in several steps, with lots of pictures,

I hope it's clear!)

SHOPPING LIST

You need:
* 4 or 5 inches of thick chain (mine is a piece of bracelet that broke), one O ring and one slide (the slide needs to be the same size of your grosgrain's width)
* 2 big beads and a smaller one
* about 1-1/2 yr of 5/8" grosgrain in cream color, matching thread, needle and scissors
* three pieces of soft & thin leather in cream and one in a darker shade (about 2-1/4" x 6-1/2")
* masking tape and exacto knife
* clear glue and fray check

MAKING THE BASE GROSGRAIN AND CHAIN NECKLACE

1* cut three pieces of grosgrain: 19" - 12" and 14"(this last one, with 45 degrees angles cut at the ends) and fray check all the ends
2* take the 12" piece and slip one end into the slide
3* fold it and sew few stitches
4* pass it onto the O ring
5* now pass it onto the slide
6* loop it around one side of the chain
7* sew few stitches
8* pass the 19" piece around the other side of the chain
9* all the way to the middle part
10* pin it in place and slide the other side all the way next to the O ring
(now, put it on and make sure it goes over your head)
11* take the exact measurement, cut off the extra and sew few stitches next to the O ring
12* done! time to make the bow!

NOW: ADD THE BOW

1* take the 14" long piece of grosgrain
2* fold the left part
3* go over with the right part
4* slip it inside the loop
5* tie and adjust
6* place it on the left side of the necklace
7* sew it with few stitches without sewing the top part of the knot
8* cut off the extra sides, and apply some more fray check! done!!

MAKING LEATHER CORSAGE FLOWERS 

1* cut 4 pieces of very thin leather into 6-1/2" x 2-1/4" (three in one color and one in a different tone)
2* tape the pieces straight onto your board
3* using your exacto knife, make cuts every 1/8" leaving the tape parts un-cut
4* it will look like this once done
5* take off the tape
6* apply some clear glue onto the edge of the wrong side of the leather
7* fold the leather in half
8* apply some glue onto the edge
9* start rolling slowly
10* keep rolling
11* it's a flower!
12* sew it a couple of times back and forth to secure it
(don't cut the thread! you'll need it in the next step!)

SEW THE LEATHER CORSAGE FLOWERS AND THE STONES

1* sew the flower around one link of the chain
2* add the bead
3* and the other one
... keep sewing until it's done!!

xox, d.