This design is inspired by one of my floral idols, Hitomi Gilliam. Before I saw Hitomi’s creations, I had never really used chenille stems (more commonly known as pipe cleaners). The base of this choker consists of a slim, simple metal choker and a series of S-shaped chenille stem swirls. (I used the 17 in [43 cm] copper-coated steel choker from www.jansjewels.com; see “Resources,” page 218.) The swirls hook onto the metal base and each other, allowing the freedom to create whatever shape you desire for your necklace platform.
The carnation petals “peek” out from under subsequent floral layers, adding their interesting color and providing body and dimension. I love how they recall the ruffled placket of a vintage tuxedo shirt.
STEP 1: Coil each chenille stem, beginning at one end of the stem and curling it into a tight, flat, disk-shaped coil.
STEP 2: Curl until you reach the midpoint of the stem, then starting at the other end, curl in the opposite direction, forming another equally sized disk. With the ends coiled in opposite directions, each stem will form an “S” shape.
STEP 3: Attach the curled chenille stems to the metal necklace base by twisting them twice at their central point to secure. Work your way around the base, adding multiple stems to add fullness to desired areas and linking stems to each other as well as to the base.
STEP 4: Prepare the flowers and foliage. Free the carnation petals from their calyxes and trim the cosmos, protea, spray carnation, and hosta blooms from their stems. Trim the heuchera foliage and rose of Sharon, but retain a bit of stem length. The stems will adhere to the necklace, locking the materials in place, but will also give them a little height, allowing them to float over the other materials.
STEP 5: Add a fine layer of the floral adhesive to the base, one section at a time, and wait 10 to 15 seconds to let it get tacky. Set a little bowl or scrap of cardboard by your work area and squeeze a small amount of glue onto it. Dip the end of each flower in the glue before adding it to the jewelry base.
STEP 6: Add the carnation petals, grouping them to add fullness and a lovely ruffled texture.
STEP 7: Add the flowers, starting with the pale pink spray carnations. Add multiple blooms to the upper left section to create an area of fullness.
STEP 8: Continue with the cosmos, protea, and rose of Sharon, repeating the placement pattern you began with, clustering them for fullness as desired.
STEP 9: Put the necklace onto the dress form. At this stage, all of the large, heavy flowers have been added, and the bulk of the base should be covered. Continue with the delicate hosta blooms and buds.
STEP 10: Next add the heuchera leaves, adding glue to their stems and nestling them into the floral landscape you’ve created. Tuck them into three spots, again repeating the placement pattern.
STEP 11: Finish with the Japanese anemone florets and buds.
