Project designed by Suzanne McNeil.
Materials:
2" nails
small piece of wood
hammer
20- & 26-gauge wire
beads
wire cutters
rounded needle-nose pliers
Steps:
Making a Jig
- Determine the shape of the basket. Pound nails into place in desired configuration. Example: A jig set in a different configuration was used to make the featured snowflakes.
Making the Basket - Turn a loop in one end of a 36" piece of 20-gauge wire. Attach loop to the end nail and begin wrapping pattern.
- Continue to wrap the pattern making the necessary number of revolutions. End with a loop around bottom nail. Remove wire from jig.
- Thread 20-gauge wire and beads between the sections. Twist ends of the wire and clip close.
- Weave or wrap 26-gauge wire between the spokes to fill in the basket bottom and sides.
Tips:
- Pulling the wire up and away from the spool can produce unmanageable kinks and loops. Unspool wire by pulling it directly away from the spool. Keep a dowel handy for just this purpose. Be cautious because the edges of the spool can be sharp.
- When making a jig, choose a wood block size that will easily fit into your hand.
- When working with a jig, turn the jig and wrap the jig around the wire. This will minimize twisted wire.
- Use the right tools. A perfectly round loop is impossible to achieve without round-nose pliers. Try wrapping the jaws of pliers with masking tape to prevent chipping or scratching the wire. As an alternative, place a piece of leather between the wire and metal jaws of the pliers.
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