I'm always on the hunt for simple tools from other crafts to use in wire jewelry making. I found some inexpensive yarn flower making jigs by Clover. The mini- flower looms are just the perfect size for earrings - or even a necklace if several are connected together. So here is my how to make wire flower earrings tutorial!
What You Need : - plastic mini flower loom from any craft store or from Amazon
- 26 G colored and coated wire (I used fine silver plated, courtesy of Parawire)
- 20 G colored and coated wire if you are making your own ear wires
- flush cutter
- chain nose or bent nose pliers
- steel block and nylon hammer
Coming up with designs and tutorials require testing and experimenting. Here is a photo of some of my failures as I tried different gauges and processes!
Working from the spool, make a figure 8 with the wire. Leave a short tail behind the loom.
Continue to make figure 8s on all the pegs. It doesn't matter whether you go clockwise or anti-clockwise - whichever is most comfortable to you. IMPORTANT : place your thumb in the middle of the wire work and keep it there as you work. This keeps the crossing of the wires as centrally as possible.
As you can see, I worked clockwise.
This is about as central as I could get with the middle crossing area.
Now go around twice more so each peg has 3 wires.
Cut the wire from the spool leaving about 8 inches. Use this tail to "sew" the bottom of the petals together. I worked anti-clockwise. Basically thread the wire from the front to back, in between the petals. Bring the wire up from the next space between petals. Go through the first space again. Then bring the wire up from the second space along. And repeat. I went around twice.
As you can see, there are two wires holding the bottom of the petals together. I used my chain nose pliers to make the flower center a bit smaller. Twist the beginning and ending wire tails together. Trim them to about 0.5 cm. Make a little loop and tuck into the work as flat as possible.
Here's what the flower looks like from the back :
Work harden the flowers by hammering each on the steel block. This action will also flatten that wire loop made with the wire ends.
I kept the petals close together. You could fan them out if you wish. Another option - consider making resin clay flower centers and stud them with crystal chatons!
Disclosure
Photography All final photographs were taken in natural light with my iPhone 6S, camera+ app and Modahaus TS320. All tutorial photographs were taken with artificial light in my windowless basement studio. Images were tweaked in Adobe Photoshop Elements.
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How to Take Jewelry Photography webinars. These will resume in the new year.
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