Who can bear to throw away even a scrap of pretty lace? Maybe you have beautiful dyed lace from following the directions in “Painted Lace” from the SewStylish Spring 2012 , or you have some lace yardage or trim left over from another project and don’t want it to go to waste. Follow these steps to turn it into lovely, easy-to-make lace earrings!

You can use a lace trim or lace yardage. Venise lace works best, because it tends to be more substantial and comes in lots of different designs and in many different widths. It’s also easy to trim away portions of the design or motif that you don’t like without causing fraying or unraveling. Even a small swatch or scrap of lace works for this project.

Depending on the motif you decide to use, you can connect ear wires directly to the lace or dangle the lace from jewelry chain or jump rings. Consider embellishing the lace with adhesive-backed, heat-set, or glue-on jewels or crystals.

SUPPLIES:
Lace scraps (width and length necessary depend on the motif)
Scissors
Jewelry chain
French hook ear wires or posts
Jewelry jump rings (size depends on the lace motif’s size)
Needle-nose pliers
Jewelry wire cutters
Fray Check

1. Select the portion of the lace you want to use for earrings. Trim away extraneous motifs and connecting threads as necessary. You can see that the flowers used for the purple and green painted-lace earrings shown are just one part of a larger motif. If your chosen lace is very lightweight, apply Fray Check sparingly to the back of the entire motif you’ve selected. The lace will stiffen as it dries.

2. Decide where to connect the lace to the chain or ear wires. Some motifs may need two connection points; some may need only one. Open a jump ring by grasping it on both sides of its opening with a pair of needle-nose pliers and gently twisting the sides in opposite directions.

3. If you want to dangle the lace motif from chain, decide how long you want the chain to be. Typically, the larger the motif, the longer the chain should be. Cut the chain to length.

4. Insert one end of the jump ring into one of the chain’s links. Then, insert the jump ring into the lace motif’s edge. Close the jump ring by rotating its sides back into place. Give it an extra squeeze to ensure the opening fully closes.

5. Add a second jump ring to the other end of the chain and thread it through the receiving end of an ear wire. Close the jump ring.

6. Your lace earrings are finished! If you decide to bling your lace earrings, use adhesive-backed, heat-set, or glue-on jewels or crystals. Apply them carefully and allow them to set before wearing the earrings.

Don’t let beautiful lace go to waste. Turn it into lovely, easy-to-make earrings.

Consider embellishing the lace with adhesive-backed, heat-set, or glue-on jewels or crystals.

Who can bear to throw away even a scrap of pretty lace?