Making your own wire woven cabochons means you will be able to have a spectacular focal for the handmade necklace you made. The necklace can be strung, kumihimo, Viking knit, wire crochet, leather, cord, chains, chain maille etc. So if you want to learn how, Dawn Horner's
Start Wire Weaving: Cabochon Pendants might be just the class for you.
The class is 2.8 hours long and spread over 7 lessons. It is specifically designed for beginners. The in depth class covers everything about wire right to how to antique it and everything in between. The thoroughness as well as all the tips and troubleshooting help newbies learn this technique. The class is versatile as different shapes of cabochons can be used.
As with
all Craftsy classes, the format is such students can watch the class when and where they want and as many times as necessary to learn a technique. You will be able to ask Dawn any question.
Note : Today is the last day over the Thanksgiving weekend that Craftsy is having
a 50% discount on ALL classes. Lesson 1 Dawn covers wire working basics and how to do the basic 2 by 2 Figure 8 weave. Wire work can be hard on the fingers and even the body - imagine being hunched up for ages concentrating on the design process. So Dawn briefly mentions ergonomics and how to use a special tape to protect fingers.
Lesson 2 Dawn goes over what sort of shape and size the cabochon should be and the wire gauge to use depending on what you chose. The considerable tension exerted on the wire woven cabochon means softer stones should not be used. Sizing the bezel is an important step and Dawn shows a really easy way to do it.
This lesson also shows how to form the wire weaving correctly around the stone. I particularly like the "saw tooth" wire weaving variation - the middle design in the last photo below.
Many of Dawn's solutions are simple ones - I like her tip on how to keep her spool from rolling around the table! She is also a fan of the bent nose pliers which she uses in a number of places.
Lesson 3 The bail design is so crucial to the final look of the piece. So Dawn's version not only is functional and strong but attractive as well. This lesson shows how to shape the main bail wires and to wire weave the cigar shape. I can see why Dawn takes such care at this spot as beginners need to adjust their tension as they go along.
Lesson 4 This is where the bail is rolled over and cinched. Again I noticed Dawn's care in teaching beginners how to bend non-working wires out of the way
She also demonstrates how to introduce a spare wire which sits in the middle of the bail. The extensions is used to form swirls at the back and front. It is both decorative and functional as it ensures the wire weaving is held tight. Dawn mentioned she's seen customers wear her designs backwards. But why not? The back is as attractive as the front!
Lesson 5 She shows how to wire net the back as well as how to stitch wire swirls at the back.
One of my favorite parts of the class was when Dawn shows how to creatively fix a lopsided wire woven piece by adding more wire. The final work looks like it was a deliberate part of the design!
Lesson 6 The front of the cabochon is more open so that most of the it is visible. Here Dawn shows how to add the final touch with the addition of metal beads.
Lesson 7 Dawn uses only copper and sterling silver in her designs. The combination is so attractive when it is patinated. This final lesson shows how she uses liver of sulfur gel and how to polish it up. She also includes a demonstration of the use of a tumbler if you'd rather not polish by hand.
It's a pity the Craftsy studio uses such a dark grey background for the instructors' pieces as it doesn't do the pieces justice. Dawn's work is lovely - I spent the entire lesson frequently ogling the necklace she wore!
This versatile class is highly recommended. Beginners should practice with copper wire until they sufficiently comfortable with wire weaving cabochons before venturing to precious metals.
Giveaway The winner of the giveaway will win not only win Dawn Horner's
Start Wire Weaving: Cabochon Pendants class but will also receive a gorgeous cabochon and all the copper wire needed for the class (shown below).
If you want a chance to be that winner, please make a comment below. Make sure you leave contact info below if you do not have an online shop or blog.
Note : Today is the last day over the Thanksgiving weekend that Craftsy is having
a 50% discount on ALL classes. Email subscribers need to scroll down the post they receive, click on Share Comment and enter your comment. Pick Name/URL. If you don't have a store or blog, leave the URL blank.
This giveaway is international.
Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower etc. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway, those will count as additional entries too! Please say so in the comments.
It ends in a week's time at
6 pm EST Monday, November 30, 2015 . I will pick the winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to leave a contact email if you don't have an online link or make sure you come back and check! Otherwise I will redraw in a week. Good luck!
Disclosure I am a Craftsy affiliate which means I receive a small compensation when classes are purchased through my blog. The opinions expressed here are entirely mine and mine alone. These would be the same, whether or not I receive the compensation.
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