Weaving Wire into Handcrafted Jewelry

You love handcrafted, wire jewelry for its funky style and bold, artsy feel; but for a softer look, add wire weaving to your jewelry making repertoire. No, it won't require tedious hours hunched over a wooden loom. Weaving wire into handcrafted jewelry is as easy as in-and-out, back-and-forth.

Remember those loopy-woven potholder craft kits your Mom bought to keep your little fingers busy. The box held a simple metal frame and colorful, stretchy loops. You simply stretched a few loops vertically on the frame to create an outline, then wove some horizontally, in-and-out, back-and-forth, to fill it in. Weaving wire into handcrafted jewelry can be just that simple.

Tools

-Nimble Fingers
-Pliers
-Round-nose pliers
-Wire cutters
-Hammer and anvil - Optional

Materials

Heavy wire - 16 or 18 gauge wire
Light wire - 24 or 26 gauge
Beads - optional
Earwires - See: How to Make Your own Handcrafted Earwires

Woven Earrings

Make Your Frame

To finish those loopy potholders, you removed them from the frame; but the frame you create for handcrafted woven wire jewelry will be part of the finished piece:

-Cut two 6 inch pieces of heavy wire.

-Create a closed shape, a circle, a square, etc., with an extension to form a loop. (Figure 3)

-Hammer lightly to help hold the shape.(Optional)

Weave

-Cut two 12 inch pieces of thin wire, longer pieces are hard to manage.

-Use round nosed pliers to swirl one end of each piece to keep loose ends from scratching you.

-Wind the swirled end into place near the bottom of your earring frame. (Figure 3)

-Weave wire in and out and back and forth over your frame.

-If you need help weaving the wire tightly, pull it into place with a pair of pliers.

-Every few passes, double loop your thin wire around the frame to help hold it in place.

-Experiment. Weave loosely or tightly. Create criss-cross patterns.

-To add more thin wire, create a swirl at the end of the piece you're working on. Slip another piece through, loop it into place and keep weaving. (See Figure 4)
-Add earwires when you're done.

Use wire only or add the beads:

-Add a bead with your first horizontal pass of weaving wire.

-Attach a wire at the bottom, add the bead, then twist into place at the top. (See Figure 3) Include center wire in your in and out weaving.
-Add beads randomly as you weave

Source:
Personal techniques