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The Best of… Washer Necklace Tutorial

January 2nd, 2008

The following is a post from The Small Object blog originally hosted over on Blogger that has since been deleted. This post was originally published in May 2005.

“Last time I was in NYC I went to see the Josef + Anni Albers exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and it was awesome. But the item I remember being most excited about was Anni Albers’ necklace made with washers and grosgrain ribbon. This was one time I was desperately hoping the museum store would come through for me. Nope. This necklace was not available. So for months I’ve been trying to see how she weaved the washers together. The problem is my memory of it was very different than the actual construction. Alas, I finally found a picture online and see it was not nearly as complicated as I thought it was.

Thankfully, I finally figured it out.
First off, Anni Albers’ beautiful necklace:

(I also saw it with red ribbon which was is my favorite.)

Personally, I love it, so perhaps you want to make one, too. Here’s a quick tutorial.

- 35 to 50 3/8″ washers (10 washers makes 4.5″ of necklace)
- Grosgrain ribbon 1/2″ wide (3/4 yard or so)

Step one: Thread ribbon up from behind washer #1. You should leave about 6″ inches of ribbon on the end.

Step Two: Thread ribbon up along the side of washer #2 and back down through the middle. The end should be threaded back through the middle of washer #1. (Still with me…)

Step Three: Pull ribbon tight so washer #2 lies flat against washer #1.

Step Four: Thread ribbon back up through washer #2 so it weaves underneath washer #1.

Step Five: Repeat process. Thread ribbon up alongside edge and back down through the middle of washer #3.

Step Six: Thread end of ribbon back through the middle of washer #2.

Step Seven: Pull ribbon tight to the right so you have all three washers laying flat. Repeat above steps.

Then you’re done!!”

2039

Entry Filed under: step-by-step, craft

21 Comments Add your own

1. jgodsey | January 2nd, 2008 at 6:31 pm

thanks for this….i am thinking this would be fun using non metal washes, such as fiber or rubber. then stainless steel for dress up.
2. tess | January 6th, 2008 at 7:07 am

fabulous!
3. Andrea | November 24th, 2008 at 8:49 pm

Thanks for this! I’ve got these 15mm “washer”-beads made from mother of pearl. This will work just nicely.
4. Pascale-Marie Hazledine | December 18th, 2008 at 11:39 am

I saw the photo of Annie Alber’s necklac in the Globe and Mail,bought the washers and 4 colors of ribbon.I couldn’t figure out how to do it,then my son found this website and ureka!
I have made many versions with 2 different size washers,they look great.
I am now going to make a belt.
Does anyone know where I can find more examples of her work?
5. Andy | January 29th, 2009 at 10:52 pm

nice! thanks.
6. leslie | May 4th, 2009 at 8:03 pm

every time i wear mine i get so many comments.

where did you buy your ribbon? i found something that looks similar to the weight and texture of yours, but i’m not totally happy with it.
7. WestCoastGirl | December 22nd, 2009 at 3:46 am

Easy thing to do to make it extra bling if you want…I used Stampin Up’s glossy enamel (could also use an ultra thick embossing powder) and heat-gun on each of the washers prior to threading them onto the ribbon. Ups the bling factor considerably =)
8. Condo Blues | July 29th, 2010 at 8:19 pm

Thanks for the tute! I made a bracelet because I didn’t have a ribbon in my stash that was long enough for a necklace or a choker.
9. Rhonda | August 16th, 2010 at 11:54 am

Thanks for the great tutorial! I have wanted to make one of these, but every time I’ve seen it done, it looked so complicated. I think I can actually do this!
10. lig | December 15th, 2010 at 11:54 pm

love this! you could also cover them with scrapbooking paper and a glossy sheen first before stringing. very nice!
11. Eve | January 29th, 2011 at 8:24 pm

I am going to trim a lampshade with this idea. Thanks. This has multiple possibilities.
12. Moosette | February 1st, 2011 at 8:41 pm

Love this! I featured this post on my blog!

http://moosette.blogspot.com
13. Jane | February 15th, 2011 at 8:55 am

Your tutorial is an awesome inspiration! Many thanks for sharing. I would like to feature your designs at http://www.handmade-jewelry-club.com/

Kindly contact me here if you have a concern.

Jane
http://diylessons.org/
http://www.handmade-jewelry-club.com/
14. june | February 17th, 2011 at 3:22 pm

Love this!!
15. june | February 21st, 2011 at 12:23 pm

Hello! Just wanted to let you know I linked your washer tutorial to my blog when I was making my necklaces! I got such great reviews when I wore them to work! Thanks for giving such great instructions!
16. Linda | March 2nd, 2011 at 11:05 pm

Thanks for the instructions. You made this look easy.
17. BERTRAND Sylvaine | March 22nd, 2011 at 5:30 pm

C’est absolument incroyable. J’achète des vis demain et je m’en fais un ;-)) Bravo et continuez !!
18. Shannon | April 8th, 2011 at 10:44 pm

Awesome idea. I made two necklaces and one bracelet today. Thanks for posting!!!
19. Nuria Arfa-Zanganeh | May 21st, 2011 at 10:29 pm

Thank you for this!!! It is so VERY kind of you… A couple of years ago, I saw a several of these necklaces in a very expensive shop in London. Since I am a very crafty person, I tried to do it…but I could not! I still have yhe washers!
I am going to make one.
Thank you again!
20. Leah Lockett | October 19th, 2011 at 9:55 pm

Fabulous! I just made this and it is way beyond cute! Thank you so much for your super easy tutorial!
21. illusrem | February 18th, 2013 at 12:34 pm

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