DIY Network

Crafting With Wire From "DIY Crafts" episode DIC-136

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A beaded wire basket makes a decorative flowerpot cover. Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E Transform plain wine glasses into works of art. Figure F Figure G

Craft expert Kathy Peterson shows how to make a basket from wire and decorate it with glass beads. Then she turns ordinary wine glasses into designer pieces by adding armature wire to the stems.

Beaded Wire Basket

Materials:

Mechanic's wire
16-gauge copper wire
Heavy work gloves
Wire cutters
Glass beads

1. Wear work gloves for safety. Cut two 24"-long pieces of mechanic's wire with wire cutters.

2. Place the wires in a cross, and twist at the center (figure A).

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with two more pieces of wire. Secure both sets of wires together by winding a piece of 16-gauge copper wire around the centers, creating a configuration like an eight-spoked wheel (figure B).

4. Begin shaping the basket by bending the wires up from the center.

5. Cut a long piece of mechanic's wire, and attach it to the center bottom of the basket with 16-gauge wire (figure C). Begin weaving between the wire spokes, around and upward to the desired height of the basket. Weave as tightly or as loosely as desired (figure D).

6. Cut a small piece of 16-gauge copper wire, and string two or three glass beads onto it. Attach the wire to the top edge of the basket for decoration. Add as many beads around the basket as you like (figure E).

Materials:

Wine glasses
Armature wire
Needle-nose pliers

1. Wrap the stem of a wine glass tightly with armature wire. Continue wrapping the wire upward around a small part of the bowl of the glass (figure F).

2. With needle-nose pliers, bend the end of the wire into a small circle, wrap it into a spiral, and bend it upward along the side of the glass (figure G).