Those 80's "hammer pants"...

... had to go!
I know... they have popped up everywhere the past few fashion seasons.


Created from light, light natural Indian cotton, hand printed in black with discreet touches of a metallic silver, they could not be discarded.

A wise soul once said, if you wore the trend the first time around...
don't even think about it the second time around!

I simply could not part with them so they had been salted away--- for years. Some of you may know that I have had this odd form of "separation anxiety" with previous pieces in my fashion archive.
Then one day... this image popped up in my inbox, thanks to Gudrun Sjoden...



Hmmmmmm.... I thought!

I've got my hammer pants....
I've got balls--wooden ones...

I can tie a knot!!!

A bit of cutting, sewing, ball stuffing and knotting and I got me a pair of these...


Yes, I went quite a bit shorter than and did not pile them on as much as Gudrun. My lifestyle isn't quite what is envisioned by Swedish fashion stylists. But I do love them... even more than the original pants!

What to gather:

• wooden balls or beads- the ones I used are 1" in diameter.
  
• fabric strip measuring a minimum of 45"-- the longer the strip the longer the necklace. Piece lengths together until desired length. For width, measure the circumference of your balls and add 1" for a 1/2" seam allowance. My 1" balls have a circumference of 3" so my strips were 4" wide.
• large safety pin to aide in turning the tube right side out.

What to do:

• Fold fabric strip lengthwise with right sides facing.
  
• Stitch into a long tube using a 1/2" seam allowance.
• Turn tube right side out using the safety pin.
• Press, if desired.
• Fill with balls and knot as your heart desires...