Give Me Liberty!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 at 10:40PM 
For a lot less!
This necklace has been obsessing me for months. It's chic, distinctive, classic and yet trendy too - that Liberty fabric is just about EVERYWHERE this season! Yet, I also find it incredibly simple, even innocuous. After all, it's just beads, fabric, and a shoe lace, slapped together with a very expensive label. Why can't I make that? Hmmm - maybe I can.
I had this conversation with myself in the winter, just as the spring previews were hitting the newsstands, and I've been attempting to recreate the original ever since. It took lots of time, experimentation, and patience. It may not be a perfect result, but I think it's pretty darn cute, and it will be the perfect accessory during the coming summer days. Want to know how to do it? Read on...
As seen in Harper's BazaarThe Louis Vuitton Liberty fabric necklace features oversized beads wrapped in the famous fabrics of Liberty of London. What's lovely about that is that Liberty is democratic - the prints are not exclusive, so we mere mortals can use them too! The Liberty prints are immediately recognizable at the fabric store; they're vivid, detailed, and printed on the softest, most luscious cotton fabric. These days, the prints are designed by a wonderful artist named Tana Lawn, who has kept the traditional Art Nouveau prints while also modernizing the pattern offering with a more playful aesthetic. Outside of the actual Liberty store in London's West End, the fabric is sometimes a little tricky to find. Luckily, San Francisco's Britex Fabrics has a large array, and Purl SoHo's online store also has a great selection. For this project, pull a handful of different prints and play with coordinating them. The ones I chose don't match per se, but they work together well in the blue and pink tones. The other thing about Liberty fabric is that it's also pricey - around $40 per yard. I purchased quarter-yard lengths and this amount was more than enough for the necklace. In fact, I may use my remnants to sew together a cute patchwork top like this one featured on She's a Betty - fabulous!
So, other than your fabric, here's what you'll need:
Styrofoam balls of varying sizes – no smaller than 1”, no larger than 2.5”
Ribbon – about 5 yards
Spray mount
Liberty fabric – 1/4 yard of each pattern
Bamboo skewers
Loop turner or extra-large needle
Pins
Power drill with an 11/64 bit (optional)
Sewing machine
Iron
Rotary cutter or scissors
Measuring tape
I should state upfront that the authentic Louis Vuitton necklace has wooden beads wrapped in fabric. However, I was unable to find wooden beads like this (but I’m sure they’re out there someplace,) so I decided to go with styrofoam. This makes the necklace a bit lighter, and certainly keeps costs low. To drill the holes, I started to use the bamboo skewers, but they were coming out a bit crooked, hence I aired on the side of technology and used my power drill with an 11/64 bit. (Don't worry - it's a standard size in any drill bit set. Sheesh! Why do I know this...?) Keep the skewers around though - they'll come in handy.
Since I don't remember my high school geometry, I measured the circumference of each ball and added a half-inch to the length to allow for a seam allowance. For instance, my largest ball was 2.5" in diameter (how they're organized at the store,) but the circumference was 8", therefore I cut my fabric piece to be 8.5" wide. Wait...wait, the word "pi" is coming to me...it's coming...it's gone.
Folding the piece over to meet at the edges (right sides together everyone!) I sewed a quick half-inch seam. This created a short tube of fabric to slide over the styrofoam ball. You could probably use the tube as is, but I pressed the seam open so that the fabric would lay as flat as possible at the seam. It's up to you...
Now, here's where you'll need the skewers. Wrapping the ends of the fabric to the balls is a little messy and difficult, but the skewers help you to keep the ball and fabric aligned so that the ends will meet in the middle. Have your box of pins ready, and open up the spray mount. Spray your adhesive onto the ball, just inside of the fabric tube, and then press the fabric into place while creating pleats and folds. Pin the pleats in place until the adhesive dries. (I suppose one could also use rubber cement or another form of glue, but spray mount offers wide coverage and also dries quickly.) I have found that it takes about 15 minutes for the adhesive to dry thoroughly. Carefully remove the pins and skewer.
I really must warn you here - forming those little pleats with sticky, gluey fingers isn't exactly easy. Do not do this project when you have a fresh manicure - you'll hate me! I kept my dishpan full of soapy warm water that I rinsed off in every so often - this helped removed the glue and kept my fingers agile.
Now that you have your balls all wrapped, determine how you want to arrange your necklace. I began by mixing the sizes - one big, one small, etcetera - but found that this didn't work quite as well as sizing the balls from largest in the center down to smallest at the ends. Leave a generous tail on your ribbon (maybe two feet?) and tie a loose knot. Now here's where you'll begin to string everything together. If you have a large-scale needle feel free to use it, but since I didn't have one I used my trusty loop turner. This handy gadget helps the home sewer to turn narrow bits of fabric (such as shoulder straps or bias joins) inside-out after sewing. Here I'm using it to pull my ribbon through each ball - it works really well! Tie another loose knot between each ball and keep stringing until everything is on the ribbon. Trim the end of the ribbon so that the ends are even, but generous enough to tie a saucy bow.
TA-DA!!!! Yes, you too now have a homemade, creative, and incredibly chic version of an haute accessory. By the way, the Louis Vuitton version retails for $825.00! This project cost me about $60 total, with most of the budget going to the Liberty fabric which I still have plenty of to use in something else. Check it!
Don't you love it when Ms. P&C saves you a whole bunch of money on something chic? No no no...don't thank me. Just make something fun and enjoy!
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