project: felt arrow necklace

It's very common for me to feel behind on trends, and my latest icon obsession is no different. Well, I did make my first arrow project last fall for the Stitched Workshops, but since then, I've not really jumped on it. Until now. Now, when I have been stitching arrows all over the place.

And now, when I have three new arrow necklaces!

I made all of these using the same basic method, just changing up the colors and style of the necklace. They go together really quickly, so you may want to make a bunch too!



Here's what you need:

Quilting cotton
Paper-backed fusible interfacing
Wool felt
Jump rings
Thin-ish chain (or existing necklace to re-make)

Arrow Pattern

Pencil
Iron
Scissors
Tiny hole punch (helpful, but you could use a large needle)
Jewelry pliers



Here's the basic instructions, which can be modified for different versions:

Trace the pattern onto the interfacing, then iron onto the cotton fabric.




Cut out the pieces, remove the paper backing, then iron them onto the felt.



Trim the felt. You can leave a bit around the fabric to make a border, or trim it right next to the fabric so none of the felt shows.



Punch a hole in the arrow where you want to hang it from. If you don't have a small punch like this one from Fiskars, you could also use a large needle to make a hole.

Use the pliers to add a jump ring in the hole.



Attach the charms the necklace chain.

My necklace is on a chain that is about 32". Because it's long, I didn't add a clasp. Instead, I joined the two ends with a jump ring, and added the charms to that, as shown in the photo.



This one is my sister's favorite!

But I made two more, because once I started thinking about these, I knew I needed to make several versions!





This one is on a slightly thicker chain, and is my favorite. Again, there's no clasp on this, because it goes right over my head.

There's a bit more strain on these charms, as they are part of the chain, so it's a good idea to not tug on the necklace too much. You don't want your felt all stretched out! Of course, if it does stretch, you can easily replace the charms.




My original idea for the arrow necklace was something like this one. No clasp...in fact, it's just one long strand (about 48")! It loops around with the arrow pieces hanging in front. You can adjust the length, and even wrap it a second time.

Projects like this always make me happy. They don't cost much (the chain was the biggest expense...I spent $8 for the two packs to make three necklaces, and still have some left over), are fast to make, and instantly I feel like I've freshened up my jewelry box!