It's a Wrap!
Last Friday I took my first wire wrapping class. Leslie Ready, who's a very talented artist and member of Grand Stitchers, taught the class. Here's my first project:
It was harder to do than I thought it would be. We used 20 gauge square wire, cut into 3 pieces and "bundled" together. The bundle was tied and wrapped around the cabochon. The top ends were then wire wrapped and two of the pieces formed the bail. The remaining 4 wires made the decorative swirls. All of this sounds a lot easier than it was.
Before I got to make the fun swirls, the cabochon had to be secured. Here's the back view:
We started on the back side first so we could get the hang of it. The top left should have been pulled out more. It was secured really tight (which is a good thing), and that caused me some problems. I scratched up the copper wire while trying to pull it out and over the back. The coating on my tool began to come off. Now I know to stop, re-do the coating, and wait for it to dry overnight. A little patience would have made a big difference. But I was so anxious to finish the project. Like a kid who can't wait for the cookie to cool, I got burned. Luckily this was just a practice piece, with copper rather than sterling wire.
The side view shows the middle wire wrapped around the cabochon.
I really like the way the copper looks on the Red Creek jasper pendant. I have a lot of jasper, although all of them have pre-drilled holes, like this one. I'm going to ask Leslie if there's a way to deal with the pre-drilled issue. Otherwise I might be "forced" to buy more jasper. LOL
In the meantime, I've re-coated my tools. They dried over night, so I'm ready to do another wrap. As they say, practice makes perfect!
