Saturday 25 February 2012

Handmade Monday: wire roses

An early Handmade Monday! This week I've mostly been making roses.  And bag charms, but I guess you are fed up with seeing those (!), so here's how to make a wire rose.  Mine aren't very neat and each one turns about a bit different, but I like that.  They are not made in a factory, so why should I want them to be all the same?  That's my excuse anyway!  Here's the tutorial

You'll need:
Wire - I used about 18 inches (45 cm) for each flower and 1mm (20 gauge) wire
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers (optional)
Wire cutters

Step 1: Grasp the centre of the wire in the round nose pliers

Step 2: Bring each end of the wire round the pliers

Step 3: Make a twist so each piece of wire goes around the other

Step 4: Carry on the twist, bringing one piece of wire around to meet the other

Step 5: Keep the twist going, but as you bring the two wires around the twist, gently lift one wire over the other.

Step 6: Keep going around with the two wires together, every so often lifting one wire over the other as you circle. Try to build each concentric circle so that it is lower than the previous one to give the rose depth.

Step 7: Keep going round, lifting and gently twisting the two wires

Step 8: The rose begins to take shape
Step 9: As the rose grows, you may need to take it off the round nose pliers.  Use the loop in the middle of the back of the rose to hold it with the chain nose pliers so that you can carry on

Step 10: Holding on gets a bit harder the deeper the rose gets

Step 11: Nearly done. Just need to decide if you want it to be a charm or a connector or a bead, so either seperate the two wires and make a loop on opposite sides of your flower or ...

Step 12: ...create a wrapped loop with the two wires at the top of the rose.  You still have a loop at the back, which could be used to thread the rose onto beading wire like a bead if you wish, or can simply be flattened to get it out of the way. 

The design possibilities are endless...
Bracelet with pyrite flowers


Copper wire rose ring

To make the ring, simply start the process winding the wire round a marker pen or ring mandrel first to construct the shank. 









Here's the link to see what other crafty folk have been making this week.

28 comments:

  1. These are fabulous - you are just so talented with your jewellery makes. Love these roses.

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  2. Wow these are fantastic, thank you for the tutorial may not give a go though as can imagine more of a birds nest than a rose. lol

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  3. Wow - these are just gorgeous! How amazing to make roses from wire - I'm with Caroline, I think mine could end up like a bird's nest (maybe even a drunken bird's nest!!)

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  4. They are so lovely - a great tutorial too, many thanks. Unfortunately, I know my roses will end up looking as though they have been attacked by a giant bug - all wonky and looking as though it has been chewed. Hope you have a good week.

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  5. Wow! Beautiful rosese. I really like bracelet with pyrite flowers. I'm going to have a go at these later. Wish me luck...

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  6. Gosh that is brilliant.Lovely jewellery. Thanks for the tutorial.

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  7. Your roses are brilliant and you make it look so easy. I like trying new things so I may give these a go even though I may never use them at least I will know how to. :)

    Jan x

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  8. Thanks for this 'how to'. I shall have to have a go, although you make it look so easy and I bet it's not!! Thank you for your comment on my blog, unprintable exclamations seem to crop up quite often where Chester is concerned - for one reason or another!

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  9. These look great and the tutorial is really clear, wish I had that sort of talent, you make it look easy but i bet its not! x

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  10. Lovely roses! The tutorial is great (as ever!) Mich :)

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  11. Saw your lovely roses and had tolook how to do them. The tutorial looks great. glenys

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  12. hey, your roses look great! it's just... they're small... I'm kinda entering this competition and i wanna make wire roses and they have to be like 10 cm in diameter. any suggestions?

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  13. Maniac - thanks for your lovely comment. Don't think you could make these much bigger unless you had really thick wire and some method of fixing the layers together at the back, otherwise they would come adrift.

    Hope you find a solution and good luck with the competition.

    Alison

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  14. Thanks for sharing this with us, saving as a favorite. Linda xx

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  15. Beautiful! I have to try these. I'm new to making wire jewellery but I love it and I've already sold quite a few of my Tree of Life pendants.

    I'll follow your blog. You're making beautiful things :)

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    1. Thanks for your lovely comments, Lone. Great to have you as a follower - hoping you enjoy the posts :-) Alison

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  16. These roses are so beautiful! They look so very delicate, but are they also strong? Perhaps winding it work-hardens the wire? If you hammered the loop alittle, would that strengthen the loop part? As I said, the beauty is that they look so delicate!

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    1. Thank you! No, they are not very strong, but if you use a heavier gauge wire, they might be more robust. Manipulating the wire strengthens it a little, but also makes it more brittle. You could hammer the loop, but you would only be strengthening the loop, not the rest of the rose. Hope that helps :-)

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  17. Thank you so much for this tutorial~ my roses came out so pretty! :-)

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  18. Thank you so much for this tutorial~ my roses look so pretty! :-)

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  19. how very nice of you to post ad share this with us all. thanks so much and yes, they are beatiful, can't wait to try them.
    Billie jean

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  20. Thanks so much for this lovely tutorial! I can't wait to try it! And thanks for putting inches (as well as cm) for this!

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  21. my middle name is Rose (after my grandma) so of course I LOVE roses :-) I had no idea you could form roses out of wire love it thanks for teaching me how ;-)

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  22. i'm trying this . Thanks laura

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  23. Hallo from Greece. Your idea is wonderful!

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  24. Wow, those roses are nice! Love your blog!

    karen
    www.KarenStoneStudio.com

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  25. I've always been interested in the arts & crafts and I find jewelry crafting a practical and fun way to spend my time.

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