RETRO BLOOMING Necklace Workshop Created for CHA 2016
Reposted from the John Bead Blog
“Make a cutting edge leather necklace using components from the Tropical Punch line by John Bead Corp in association with Sizzix machines and brand new dies created by Jill MacKay. Mixed media has never been this hip…until now! A workshop literally to die for.” Workshop by Carmi Cimicata
This workshop was created to showcase our soft leather sheets and some of the unique components in the Tropical Punch jewelry making collection. Since the workshop techniques were demonstrated in person, these pictures are a good summary of what you need to do in order to create something similiar.
The Retro Blooming Necklace stands out because of the layered leather blooms. We were able to create and cut the flowers with special dies from the Jill Mackay collection. Thank you Sizzix for allowing us to use your new “Movers and Shapers” dies for workshop.
Tip – You will be able to die cut more flowers if you cut your leather into smaller shapes. There will be less waste. (see picture above)
You can cut as many flower shapes as you may want for your necklace. Some of my pieces are over the top with more than three layers. You may prefer far fewer flowers on your necklace. Simply cut and build layers until you are satisfied with the groupings.
I used a tiny dab of glue between each flower layer to secure it in place. For the layer on top I added the special circular bead.
The bead I used as the flower centre is a Preciosa Ripple™. I sewed mine with a tiny bead anchor to give my necklace more of a hand-finished appearance. 
I only sewed through a single layer of leather.
One good stitch with a knot holds the bead in place. Then I glued the layers of leather together. The Ripple bead covers the tiny hole in each flower and any possible glue seepage. (Notice where I added glue.)
NOTE: If you do not enjoy sewing, you can glue the bead in place too.
I worked on a non-stick surface so I did not accidentally glue my leather flower to my table/work surface.
I always let glue dry overnight if I can. In a classroom setting, we are on the clock, so it was great to be able to use a fast glue such as Quick Grip for this project.
To make the flowers wearable I used Tropical Punch polyester pipe for my necklace.
I created the tiered look by cutting my pipe to the length I liked and taping it in place to maintain its shape.
I added a pendant bail slider to my last polyester pipe cord before gluing on my end caps.
The bail slider allowed me to add this special lucite Tropical Punch flower to the necklace. Then I glued my leather blooms to the polyester pipe necklace so that the lucite flower was perfectly framed.
If you do not like working with frayed ends (1), you can tape your polyester pipe before cutting it (2) or use a flame to seal the edges (3).
The Tropical Punch endcap I picked has a deeper center, so I cut my cords into a triangular shape so that I could glue them properly into the cap. This allowed the cords to sit side by side snuggly in the cap with glue.
If you are working on a beading board, place a little masking tape under any area where you apply glue. This way your project won’t accidently stick to the board if glue seeps out.
Your last step is to add a clasp.
I used these products from John Bead Corp.
Soft leather sheets – Retro Pink and Black Suede 75103102-05 + 75103100-00
Tropical Punch Polyester Pipe 75001000-01 (available in many colors)
Tropical Punch Findings 26002001-03
Tropical Punch Lucite Flowers 28400684-04
Pendant Bail Sliders 26002053-01
Bead Design Board 74530132
Quick Grip Glue
Czech Preciosa Ripple Beads 27800957-01s5
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