Beading: Wild Wire Bracelet

Spiraled, twisted, and looped wire accentuate these fun designs.

• 18-gauge metallic or plastic-covered wire in blue, red, yellow, green, and purple
• Wire cutters
• Hand drill
• Cup hooks
• Tape
• Needle-nose pliers
• Round pencil
• 5--3/8-inch O rings (available in hardware and home supply stores); round toothpick

Photo A

1. To make a blue S bead, cut a 12-inch piece of wire; fold it in half. Place the cup hook in the drill as a bit. Place the wire loop over the hook. Tape wire ends to a work surface; crank the drill handle as shown in Photo A. Use pliers to shape ends into coils that form an S.

2. To make a red loop bead, cut a 5-inch length of wire. Wrap the center of the wire around a round pencil three times; remove from pencil. Gently pull loops slightly apart and flatten. Form wire ends into open loops.

3. To make a twisted yellow bead, cut a 12-inch piece of wire. Fold it in half. Place the fold of the wire in the drill; turn to twist. Wrap the center of the wire around a round pencil five times; remove. Gently pull loops apart. Use pliers to tuck wire ends into bead center.

4. To make a green bead, cut a 4-inch length of wire. Wrap around a toothpick to shape.

Photo B

5. To make a purple spiral bead, cut a 10-inch length of wire. Wrap the wire around a pencil three times as shown in Photo B. Use pliers to shape the ends into loops as in Photo C.

Photo C

6. Cut short pieces of red wire to attach the beads to the O rings. NOTE: For the yellow, green, and purple beads, the red wire is threaded through the bead before the end loops are shaped. To attach the S bead, shape red wire into O shapes. Pinch the wire end loops closed with pliers.

• 26-gauge blue metallic wire
• Wire cutter
• Approximately five 7/16-inch O rings
• Needle-nose pliers
• Golden beading wire
• Approximately five 3/8-inch O rings
• Large iridescent black seed beads
• Golden bead

Photo A

1. Cut five 3-inch lengths of 26-gauge blue metallic wire. Bend a 7/16-inch O ring in half. Wind the center of the O ring tightly with wire as shown in Photo A. Use pliers to pinch down the wire ends.

2. Cut five 12-inch lengths of golden beading wire. Fold wire in half. To join the 7/16-inch and 3/8-inch rings, thread the wire loop through one end of the 7/16-inch O ring. Thread the ends through the loop and tighten to secure. Wrap the wires around both rings several times. Thread three seed beads on wire. Join the 3/8-inch ring to another 7/16-inch ring as before, threading the loose ends back through the beads. Cut the wire if needed.

3. Try on the bracelet. Add or remove O rings to fit. For closure string a golden bead and seed bead on the end of the bracelet, opposite a 7/16-inch ring.

• Wire cutters
• 18-gauge wire in chartreuse and purple
• 22-gauge copper wire
• Approximately eleven 7/16-inch O rings
• Needle-nose pliers

Photo A

1. Cut 4-inch lengths of wire, six from 18-gauge wire and four from 22-gauge wire.

2. To join O rings stack two together. Thread one 4-inch length of wire through the rings. Centering the wire wrap it around the rings twice, below. Trim each wire end to 1 inch. Gently pull the rings apart to lie flat.

3. Use needle-nose pliers to bend the wire ends into spirals as shown in Photo A.

4. Continue linking O rings until the desired bracelet length is achieved.

5. Before attaching the closure try on the bracelet. Add or remove beads to fit. To make a closure cut a 2-inch-long piece of 18-gauge wire. Fold it in half. Shape the open ends into a ring, closing it around one end O ring. Use pliers to fold the other end into a hook.