Teething Necklace

So Evangelyn is teething...and she loves jewelry...and she chews on everything she can as it is.  So! I was super impressed when I found an idea (on pinterest, of course!) for a teething necklace.  I totally loved this little project on Rebekah Gough's blog (link at bottom) and wanted to try my hand at this sewing project.  That's right, me sewing :)  I mean, I did a little sewing back in middle school so this should be no problem right?  It looked as if this would be about the easiest way for me to try my hand at sewing again... you know, beginner stuff.  Well, let me just say that if I got this much sewing done, so can you.  It might take 10 times as long as someone who knows what they are doing, but you can get it done!

Enough yabbering on about my lack of sewing skills...here's the how to!
The basic idea is to create a really really long tube of fabric to tie wood beads into so that your little sweet pea can chomp on em a bit.  What I did was buy 1 yard of a fabric with a fun print and then cut 2 5-inch strips as long as I could make them.  Then you sew the 2 strips together so you get one strip that is twice as long.  Next, you sew your fabric right sides together (aka print-sides facing in), trim the seams if needed, and flip your tube right-side out so you have a long open-ended tube of fabric.
Now you're ready to make your necklace!  First, I tied a knot in the center of my necklace, where my seam was from sewing the two strips together.  Next, I would drop a wooden bead into the tube and tie a knot right after it.  Just keep adding beads evenly on both sides of your center knot until you have your desired look, finishing with a knot.  After the last knot that you tied, cut the remaining length of your fabric into 3 equal strips so that you can braid them together.  Then you can just tie your ends together in the back to complete your new accessory!
This really is that simple - I promise.  If you are a tad better at sewing than I am or want to give this as a gift, you could even sew the ends of your braids and then add a cute closure to your necklace.  Maybe next time :)  For now, I'm going to call this project a success!

Just for giggles...here is the teething necklace on Evangelyn's ball popper :) 

Link to Rebekkah's original project design