TECHNIQUE
ALL LEVELS | KNOTTING
Knot Your Own Easy
Leather Necklace
Use a jig to make an economical
necklace in under 30 minutes.
by Sandra Younger
Whether you wear it alone or as
an accent to a favorite pendant,
a knotted leather necklace is a
versatile jewelry staple.
U
sing a simple jig made from a board
and a couple of nails, you can turn out
a few knotted necklaces in less than
an hour. I use this knotted design to save the
expense of adding end-cap findings to my
necklaces. Whether you use leather or other
types of cord, like waxed cotton or silk, the
technique is the same. Experiment with cords
of different colors and diameters. For even
more versatility, attach a knotted cord to a
FCT-FC-031317_07
bracelet to turn it into a necklace.
©2010 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be
reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.
facetjewelry.com
Make a jig
materials
Leather cord: 2 mm diameter
1
■■ 3 ⁄ 3 yd. (3 m) necklace cord
■■ 28 in. (71.1 cm) wrapping cord
■■ 2 jump rings: 16-gauge (1.3 mm),
10 mm inside diameter
■■ Lobster claw clasp: ½ in. (13 mm)
■■ Extender chain (optional)
■■
tools & supplies
Jig:
■■ Wooden board: approximately
25 x 6 x ¾ in. (63.5 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm)
■■ 2 2-in. (51 mm) nails
■■ 2 steel-spring clamps
■■ Utility hammer
■■ Permanent marker (color to match cord)
■■ Drill, drill bit in same diameter as nails
■■ Cyanoacrylate glue
■■ 2 pairs chainnose pliers
■■ Flush cutters
a
b
■■
I used an old bookshelf to make my jig,
but any solid wood surface works well.
NOTE: Pressed wood will not hold the
nails securely.
Mark the nail placement on the wooden
board. The length of your necklace will
be equal to the distance between the two
nails you’ll set into the board. Use a ruler
to measure the desired length of your
necklace on the board, and use a permanent marker to mark the position of each
nail. For my necklace, I made marks that
are 15 in. (38.1 cm) apart.
Drill the nail holes. You’ll be setting the
nails in the board at an angle, which is
knotted
cord variations
To change the look of your knotted
necklaces, try using various diameters
of knotting cord. Or make more or
fewer wraps before tying the knots.
A quick way to convert a bracelet into
a necklace is to add a knotted leather
cord in a complementary color.
difficult to do with a hammer. Using a drill
to make pilot holes for the nails is a good
solution. Set the tip of your drill bit on the
left mark, and angle the bit approximately
60° to the left. Drill into the board just
deep enough that the nail will fit snugly.
Repeat on the right mark, angling the bit
60° to the right.
Set the nails. Insert the nails in the holes
[Photo, a and b]. (I cut off the heads of my
nails, but that’s optional.)
NOTE: Make sure the nails are angled away
from each other; this prevents the cord
from slipping off the nails when you wrap
around them.
Process photos by Sandra Younger.
Knot a necklace
[2] Pull the working cord behind nail B.
[1] Use a clamp to secure the end of
your cord to the board; position the cord
to the left of and just behind nail A. You
can leave the cord on the spool or cut it
to your desired length. For this necklace,
I used 3 m (31 ⁄3 yd.) of cord.
[3] Pull the cord around nail B and toward nail A. Wrap the cord behind nail A.
Continue to wrap the cord around the nails this way until you have the desired
number of necklace strands, ending at nail B. Clamp the cord to the board to
the right of nail B. If you left the cord on the spool, trim it beyond the clamp.
[4] Cut one 14-in. (35.6 cm) piece of
cord, and make three wraps around
the necklace strands.
[5] Thread the pink (left) end of the
wrapping cord through the loops.
NOTE: We’ve colored the wrapping cord
to demonstrate the knotting sequence.
[7] Thread the yellow (right) tail of the
wrapping cord through the loops.
[8] Grasp one wrapping tail in each hand.
[6] Pull the pink tail of the wrapping cord
under the bundle of necklace cords.
[9] Using even
tension, gently pull
the ends to tighten
the knot, leaving it
loose enough to
slide along the
necklace strands.
[10] Place a small drop of cyanoacrylate
glue on the necklace strands where you
want your knot to sit. I like to position
mine next to the nail, leaving a loop
in the necklace cords that’s just large
enough to accommodate a jump ring.
[11] Slide the knot over the glue, and pull
the knot ends to cinch the knot tight.
NOTE: Immediately remove any excess
glue with a toothpick or pin.
Repeat the steps with a second wrapping cord to make a knot at the opposite
end of the necklace.
Allow the glue to dry completely
according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.
Necklace
bundle tail
Knot tail
Knot tail
[12] Remove the assembly from the jig. At one end of the assembly,
locate the necklace bundle tail and the two wrapping knot tails.
[14] Using a permanent
marker in a color that
matches your cord, color
the cut ends of leather.
[15] Use two pairs of chainnose pliers to add a
jump ring and half of a clasp to each end
of your necklace.
TIP: For an adjustable fit, add an extender
chain to the necklace.
[13] Using flush cutters, trim the excess
cords flush with the knot. Repeat to trim
the excess cord ends at the other end of
the assembly.