Intro to Wire Wrapping: Adding beads to a simple design.

Some pics of the main techniques we used in last  Saturday's class!I hope you try this out and find all kinds of great ways to use this technique!

Begin wrapping, keeping each wrap as close to the one next to it as possible. I do this in two strokes. One, straight up, bend the wire over the top, and one stroke down, then bend the wire over the bottom, and so on. This helps the wire consistently lay parallel on the main wires.

Add the number of beads you wish to use to your wrapping wire.

Make a knot of sorts on the end, so that the beads don't come flying off as you go along wrapping wire and adding each bead.

Once you have several wraps, add your first bead. The bead should rest atop the main wires. Holding the bead in place, bend the free wire downward around the back, and continue wrapping five more wraps.

When you have wrapped five times, and the next bead on the 6th. Repeat and continue.

Periodically, stop and use your flat nose pliers to gently squeeze the sections of six wraps together, and make any adjustments to spacing you need to make. Do this as you go. If you wait until the end, it will be much more difficult to make minor adjustments and corrections.

Once you have the amount of pattern beaded wire wrapped you want for the design, add in the top drilled pendant bead. Use your free wire to string the bead on. lasso the wire around the outside of the opposite side wires, then run the free wire back through the pendant bead to attach. I have flossed the lasso wire a little higher than mid point on the left. Once you pull the wire back through the stone, pull tight, and continue wrapping until the two sides are even. Then trim the ends and tap down any sharp ends that may be sticking out.

Using a little dowel rod, a pen, or any other round object, form the wire  for the bail around it, and keep in place while you secure the bail, either with the main wires or more of the wrapping wire. I knew I wanted a very simple design here. So, I used the same main wires to wrap around the bail wires.

Here we have the finished piece! This is a fun, easy bead on wire technique. I hope you all have fun experimenting with it in your jewelry designs!