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• Bead Baubles and Jewels - Beading Lesson (1007) • |
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Making Beaded Ornaments
by Katie Hacker
Sponsored by: Beadalon®
Add some sparkle to your surroundings with handmade wire and bead ornaments. To get started, you'll need wire in various gauges, basic wire-working tools, and a selection of small glass beads.
To make a cookie cutter-style ornament, draw a shape on a piece of paper. Then, lay the wire over the shape and follow the pattern, using your fingers or pliers to bend it. 16-gauge wire makes shapes that are nice and sturdy. Begin and end the pattern at the hanging loop. After creating the basic shape, you can use smaller gauge wire, such as 24-gauge, to wire-wrap tiny glass beads onto the 16-gauge wire frame.
You can use a similar technique to make wire words with 20-gauge wire. (The lighter gauge makes it easier to bend.) Write the word in cursive and be sure that all of the letters connect. To use the word as an ornament or pendant, bring the wire end back over the center of the word and make a hanging loop.
To prevent the letters from losing their shape, place the ornament on a steel bench block and use a hammer to flatten the curved parts of the letters. If you want to add some extra sparkle, use thinner wire (26- or 28-gauge) to wrap small beads onto the word.
These techniques can also be used to create smaller versions of shapes or words that can be incorporated into jewelry or paper crafting projects. Remember that thinner gauges of wire should be hammered to ensure that they retain their shape.
For more ideas and inspiration visit: www.katiehacker.com |
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