Stretchy Elastic Stitched Neck Choker and Bracelets

Years ago, I created a 3D printed stitched neck choker with the idea of making a thin print that was flexible. It evolved to using flexible TPU filament to allow for a more comfortable fit and more durable finished choker.

Over time, I'd been asked about making it flexible or without metal clasps/chains (for those who have metal allergies) and my tests never panned out because I would add just a couple inches of elastic and it wouldn't be enough to get over my head. I left it alone for a while, but when I was recently revisiting it and trying to decide how I could give it enough stretch, I thought I would try making the stitches into "beads" that would just slide onto an elastic base instead of having the base of it be 3D printed. I gave it a try and it actually all came together fairly easily and I'm very happy with the results!

This stitched neck choker, armband, and bracelet design is more "costume-y" than my previous version but I think they also work really well and since there is no clasp, it has a lot more seamless look making it feel more "real" for your Sally Nightmare Before Christmas cosplay or Frankenstein's Monster or Monster High, or whatever costume you're looking to create.

Instructable 382

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• Tinkercad
• 3D Printer - I'm using a Bambu X1 Carbon
• 1/4" Black Elastic
• Needle
• Thread
• Super Glue or Fray Check - I prefer super glue as it doesn't leave residue

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I started with the stitches from my previous stitched neck choker which are made up of a Torus and two Half Spheres.

I took the stitches and used the base of the original necklace (which was a long smooshed cylinder cut in half) to cut the hole in the beads (I did some tests to decide this was a good fit for both holding the stitches in place while also allowing me to thread them on the elastic).

I didn't really do anything special for printing them besides trying to make sure my TPU settings were all dialed in.

I scraped them pretty easily off with a 3D printed scrapper and trimmed any blemishes off with a flush cutter. I cleaned them up afterwards since glue is used as a release agent on the bed, and put them in a sieve so they wouldn't go down the drain. I made sure to leave them to dry before making them into jewelry.

While my stitches dried, I cut my elastic to size.

You can either cut them to size or cut them about 1/4" short. You will lose about 1/4" when you sew so keep that in mind as well when deciding how much to cut.

I put a little super glue on the ends so they wouldn't frey. I used frey check originally but I found the super glue held up better after threading them through all the stitches and didn't discolor them as much as the fray check left white residue.

Make sure they are dry before moving on so you don't stick your fingers together or make a mess.

Now to thread on your stitch "beads."

I found that it helped to have a tool that helped shove the elastic through the bead. I used a tweezers.

Then, once it was starting to stick out the other side, I would grab it would the tweezers and tug it through.

I put on about 1 stitch per inch + 1. So for a 17" choker I'd put on 18.

I made a little video to try to show what I'm doing better.

In the past, I've tried gluing elastic together and while it works, I didn't find it worked well. So, I sew these closed.

I overlap the ends about 1/4" which cuts the size down by another 1/4".

Sew it well so it won't come apart. I would stretch the seam before being done to make sure I'm happy with how well it is sewn. I also liked to double over the thread to try to give extra strength.

Enjoy your pieces!

The stitches move well but also stay in place well. When you put on your choker, the stitches tend to move, but it's easy to organize it the way you want and they'll stay in place well while you're wearing it.