Spirit Pendant
Skill Level: Advanced
Technique: Coiling & Weaving
This pattern came about by using a variety of techniques that I incorporated into a single design. By publishing their personal designs using these same techniques, the ladies whom I feel most influenced this round wire "Spirit" design are: Mary Tucker, Lisa Barth, and Eni Oken. Enjoy!
Materials
-
18-gauge round dead soft wire, 12"
- 20-gauge round dead soft wire, 15"
- 26-gauge round dead soft wire, 11 feet
- 1 40mm donut bead
- 12 4mm round beads
- Variety of beads and spacers to match your donut
Tools
Instructions
- Straighten the 18-gauge wire and then find and mark its center. Use round nose pliers to form a 5mm inner diameter (ID) loop at the mark. Center the loop alongside a round shaping item that is the same size as the donut and shape the wire around the item.
- Place the wire frame around the donut. Looking at the donut as though it were a clock face, put the loop just created at 6 o'clock and mark the wire at both 3 and 9 o'clock. Make a 4mm (ID) loop at each of these locations.
- Where 12 o'clock would be, use flat nose pliers to bend each side of the frame 90° up, forming the bail wires.
- Cut one piece of 26-gauge wire about 3 feet long. Leaving a 2" tail, use this wire to begin coiling around one of the 18-gauge bail wires; starting about 1/4" above the bend and coiling down until there are 8 to 10 coils "on" the curved frame. Slide a 4mm round bead onto the 26-gauge wire. Keeping the bead on the outer edge of the frame, wrap the 26-gauge wire once around the frame and then 2 complete times around the base of the bead, followed by three coils on the frame, heading away from the bead.
- Adding more 26-gauge wire as needed, after the third coil around the frame, gently straighten the remaining 26-gauge wire and thread it through the center hole of the donut. When it comes back out the other side, bring it up to and wrap it around the frame, twice. Now add another bead, repeating the entire procedure until there are five beads attached to the frame, and the 26-gauge wire has passed through the center 4 times.
- On the 26-gauge wire's fifth pass through the center, wrap it around the frame until it hits the bottom of the first side loop. Thread the 26-gauge wire through the loop, coiling it 3 times around the inside of the loop.
- Immediately after the loop, use the 26-gauge wire to add twelve coils around the frame (adding more wire as needed). Then repeat the procedure of threading the 26-gauge wire through the center hole three times, with two coils between the 1st and 2nd time and three coils between the 2nd and 3rd time. Add one more 4mm round bead, wrap it to the frame and then repeat the coiling process, reversing the coiling pattern, until the entire pendant frame has been wrapped.
- After the entire frame has been wrapped, trim and tuck the starting end of the 26-gauge coiling wire.
- Use the remaining 26-gauge wire to weave the two bail wires together with a figure-8 weave, for about a 1" length.
- Trim both 18-gauge wire ends so they are even, and use round nose pliers to roll them under, toward the back of the pendant.
- Use your favorite bail-making tool to roll the bail wires toward the back of the piece.
- Use 3" pieces of 20-gauge round wire to create your own headpin charms, using a selection of beads you chosen to match the donut. Attach one charm to each side loop, and attach three charms to the bottom center loop.
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