In the fall ’08 issue of SewStylish, I wrote an article on how to make a necklace using organza, ribbon, and sew-on jewels. While looking at the inspirational catalog from Neiman Marcus recently, I came across this necklace by Ranjana Khan (above right). The necklace retails for $1,200, and is very similar to this project I made for less than $20. The project was originally called the “Bijoux Necklace,” but I still like to refer to it as the joke name we had around the office while we were working on the issue: “Nikki’s Disco Dickie.”

My original inspiration for this project was the necklace above by Burberry from their fall ’08 RTW collection. Chunky jewels have been a runway staple the past few seasons, embellishing everything from shoes and headbands to hemlines and jewelry. Get the look quickly with organza (don’t worry; it’s easy to sew) and faux jewels. A ribbon makes the necklace adjustable for a chocker length or longer. You can also enlarge or reduce the size of the template to any dimensions you like. The project is available for free download on the SewStylish site, including all the pattern pieces and how-to information.

Recently I started working on a sewn necklace project for myself. I’m still seeing them all over the web and in stores in Manhattan. They seem to keep getting larger and more elaborate. Above is the necklace I made for the fall ’08 issue of SewStylish as photographed by Jack Deutsch.