Tutorial - Fabric Chain Decoration

Fabric Chain Decoration

  

Materials

·         Fabric - depends on how many chain links you want

o   Each link requires 6cm x 24cm

o   10 will give you approximately 1 meter of chain

·         Heavy weight fusible interfacing

·         Scissors

·         Loop turner or bodkin

·         Safety pin

·         Thread

·         Optional Velcro or snap fasteners or press stud fasteners

STEP 1

Cut each piece of fabric to 6cm x 24cm

You could vary these measurements depending on how wide you want your chains to be. I wouldn’t recommend going smaller than a width of 5cm or you may find it too difficult to turn the fabric right side out

At the same time cut a piece of heavy fusible interfacing. I cut mine 1.5cm x 21cm.

You’ll want the interfacing to be about 1cm smaller in width and about 3cm shorter in length than the finished size of the finished strip. You’ll need one strip of interfacing for each fabric strip you cut.

STEP 2

Take your fabric piece and fold it lengthwise, right sides together. Sew along the long edge using a 1.5cm seam allowance

Turn right side out using the loop turner or bodkin and iron flat, placing the seam in the middle of one side (this will be the inside of the ring)

Insert the interfacing strip, positioning the fusible side so it will be attached to the side without the seam.  Try using a safety pin attached to one end of the interfacing if it’s tricky to get into the tube of fabric. 

Repeat this process for all the fabric strips you have cut out. Make as many as you’d like to create a chain of your desired length, remembering that 10 will give you approximately 1 metre.

STEP 3

Tuck the ends of the strips into the tube about 1 – 1.5cm

STEP 4

Now you’ll want to attach these pieces together to form the rings. There are a few options here

1.      You could order them as you’d like and simply sew the ends together, interlocking the rings as you go.

2.      Or, if you want to make a chain where the rings could be opened and reorganized, you may want to use Velcro or snaps as the fastener for each ring.  Cut a small piece of Velcro, about an inch square and sew one side of the Velcro to the end of one of your strips. Sew the second piece to the reverse side of the other side of the strip.

3.      To use snaps simply stitch the snaps onto the ends of your strips.

I used press studs as these have a nice clean finish to them and are easy for the kids to link together. I can also use these as a toy for the younger kids, napkin rings or bracelets.