Failed Necklace Concept

Back in March, we went to Indiana where Kumi got to spend quality time with her relatives. One of her favorite things was a plastic bead necklace from her Grandma. You know the kind -- its multi-colored beads snap into one another so you can make bracelets and necklaces. Unfortunately, Kumi loved to chew on the little snappy beads, and the little buggers had 'choking hazard' written all over them.

While making clothes for Kumi, I started to accumulate lots of little scraps and had the idea to make a necklace out of fabric. Brilliant, right? I would make them large enough so they wouldn't be a choking hazard and even if she chewed on it, I could toss it in the washer. It would be tactile, motor-skills enhancing...What's not to like about the idea?

So it turns out that I am inept at product design. I had this concept of interlinking cloth 'beads' and whipped up a couple to see if it would work:

Not so much. Linking them together left no option for linking other so-called beads...

The elastic bands are the kinds you can find at drugstores. Maybe I need to put them on both sides? If anyone has suggestions, I'd be so grateful. I will continue tinkering with this and will post updates!