DIY ~ RBG Dissent Collar ~ Banana Republic Inspired Crystal Bib Necklace

Hey lovelies!  Happy New Year's Eve! I've been meaning to post this for a while now, and it's probably not a great time to post (ie, everyone's busy and won't see it) but I really wanted to share it!  {More after the jump}

When I first saw the crystal bib necklace from Banana Republic's Anna Karenina collection I knew I had to make it. It's also the same as Ruth Bader Ginsburg's infamous dissent collar - now you can make your own!  I thought it was begging to be DIY'd, and I'm surprised that no one has done it yet (that I'm aware of at least)  So, here's the how-to:

You'll need:  a paper template, drawn loosely and cut out for just the overall shape, a piece of felt, 6mm, 8mm, and 11mm flat backed rhinestones, jewel glue, silver glitter puffy paint, scissors, straight pins (not shown), black ribbon (not shown), black thread and needle (not shown).

Pin your template to the back of your piece of felt and then cut it out.  Again, this is the rough shape of the necklace so the final shape will be refined later.

Begin laying out your pattern, I chose to do the outline of the large rhinestones first.

Apply a small amount of jewel glue to the back of the rhinestone and put it back in place. {Please excuse my ragged cuticles!  But how adorable is the polish?  It's Revlon's Popular}

Once the large outline is glued into place, begin the horizontal rows.  Lay them into place, and then glue them one at a time in their place.

Keep going, it will take time and patience.

All done with the rhinestones!  Let it dry according to the glue's instructions, and use a warm iron to the back if so required now.

Apply the dotted outline using the silver glitter puffy paint.

All done!  Now let it dry, then cut out around the borders.

And this is what you'll have. Now we just need to attach the ribbon closure.

Cut a yard of velvet ribbon in half and singe the edges with a lighter to prevent fraying.  Hand stitch each piece to either side with the needle and thread, make sure it's tightly secured!

Tie the ends together in a pretty bow, and voila!

I think this is a great way to jazz up a plain tshirt, as well as an addition to a fancier ensemble.  And surprisingly, cost about $15 to make (compared to BR's $80 price tag).

xx
Lia