Tutorial - Making an Elegant Organza Ribbon Cord

  

I made some heart pendants a while ago and no matter what type of cord I tried with them, they just didn't seem to look right.  I had some organza ribbon in just the right colors and so did some experimenting and created some pretty organza cords.  This is how it is done:

Step 1 - Cut a piece of 1" (25 mm) wide organza ribbon 1-2 inches longer than you want your finished cord to be.  If there is wire running through the edges, then pull them out with pliers.

Step 2 - Fold the ribbon in half, lengthwise, and sew a 1/4" (5 mm) seam from the raw edge.

Step 3 - The tricky part is turning the ribbon inside out.  I happen to have a really cool tool called "Fasturn" which makes turning sewn tubes of fabric right side out a breeze.  You can see how it is done if you click on the link here .

Step 4 - After the ribbon is turned the ends can be finished off with ribbon crimps or cord tips.  Trim the ribbon so there is no frayed ends and to your preferred length.  For added strength, I like to apply some glue to the cord end before inserting it into your crimp or cord tip.  I do this by applying some glue to the cord end, fold the end in slightly and then fold in half lengthwise.  I then apply a little more glue before inserting into the cord tip and crimping.

Your ribbon is now ready to string your pendant and attach a chain and a clasp.

 

Finishing Touches

Now that we have recovered from all the excitement of the World Masters it is time to catch up on the many things on my to do list.  I've been sorting through our latest pieces that still need finishing off and taking photos as they are completed.  There are so many ways to finish our pieces and so how do we decide?

When we look at a finished clay piece we like to feature it in it's best light.  Some of our pieces are purposely designed to hang on a nylon coated stainless cable.  We like how it causes you to focus on the bead or pendant and the cord is almost invisible.  We will try our pieces on a variety of colors to see which gives the best effect as in the ones in the photo shown below.

I cannot believe how light and comfortable the cables are.  I made one of these for myself and I had to keep checking to see if it was still in place.

I love making these stripe blends and have created bangles and beads for bracelets and earrings to match.

Another type of cord we like to use is the "softglass" which is like a rubber cord but has a silky look and feel to it.  You can see how they look with the variety of pendants below.

At times the cable or softglass cord just doesn't seem to fit with certain pieces.  I'm always scouting around for just the right materials.  I found these beautiful organza ribbons and a light bulb came on!  I pulled out my sewing machine and stitched some into cords and voila!  Soft, elegant and yet comfortable.

So how do we decide on what to use?  This part is generally a joint effort between Dave and I.  We sometimes create a prototype first and I will actually wear it to "test it out".  We will take note of how it fits or if it hangs properly.  Sometimes we are satisfied and other times we go back to the drawing board  if it needs any tweaking.  I have a drawer full of these prototypes that have become part of my wardrobe.  I must say my hubby has a keen sense for design and style and I tease him that he has a pretty "good" eye for a straight guy!  It is really great to work together like we do and bounce things back and forth.

Some New Cord Styles for the New Year

After creating our clay beads and pendants comes the decision of how they will be finished into jewelry pieces.  Should they be wire wrapped, strung or just hung on a cord for best effect?  When it comes to pendants on cords,  I like to "lock" them into place whenever possible.  This prevents the cord from "walking" with the clasp ending up at the front.  The pendant below is an example of one that is finished this way:

Our favorite type of cord we like to use is the "Softglass".  It is like rubber cord but is slightly translucent, very strong, yet flexible and almost looks like frosted glass.  It has a hole going through the center which is perfect for stringing wire through.  I like to use "softflex" wire in this case and even though it isn't necessary, I prefer the 49 strand due to it's strength and flexibility so the softglass cord can still drape nicely.

Another type of cord we recently discovered is a stainless steel cable that is nylon coated.  They come in a variety of colors with a screw barrel type clasp.  I prefer to cover this clasp with clay so it is more comfortable on the neck and easier to handle.  These cables work great for shorter (16-18") choker type necklaces.  They are also great when you really want to show off the pendant or beads and not have the cord as a  distraction.

I sell these with the finished clasps in our Art Fire and Etsy shops as they are great if you want a simple cord to use for interchanging pendants.  These cables work great for beaded style chokers as well making them more versatile.  We have them in silver and gold and will have more colors available soon.

My latest discovery, however, is combining these cables with the softglass cord.  I found there is a slight "walking" problem when using these cables on a pendant so I was experimenting with ways to "lock" them in.  When I cut small pieces of the softglass and thread them on the cable they look like little beads but are also nonslip and gently keep the beads or pendant in place.  I can use the softglass pieces in contrasting colors like beads or in the same color as the cable to blend in.

This new style will work well with some of the new clay designs I'm working on and will be available in the new year.