Wire Tree Ornament
I got this tree ornament idea from seeing a larger, 3-D version for sale in a catalog. It was card holder made of wire. I scaled down the design and made it two dimensional in order to create this wire tree ornament. I always recommend making your proto-type using copper wire first since it’s so inexpensive. With this ornament, it’s even more important because it takes a little practice in order to get the wire wrapped around the swirly pieces. However, once you get your technique down, I think this would look great in green wire or even a mix of gold-filled and silver.
To start, you’ll need the following:
18 gage copper wire
jeweler’s files
wire cutters
round nosed pliers
flat nosed pliers
clamps
1. First, cut two pieces of wire 5 inches long, two 4 inches long, three 4 inches long, and two 3 inches long and file the ends.
2. Use the round nosed pliers and curl the ends of the wires - except for one of the 4 inch wires.
3. Then use your fingers to continue curling the wires. This should shorten each wire approx. 1 -1 ½ inches.
4. Take the two longest curled wires and put them together using a clamp or a binder clip.
5. Then wrap the 4 inch wire that you didn’t curl around these two pieces. You want to start the wrapping approx. 1 ½ inches from the top of the two curled pieces.
6. Add the next two longest curls on top of the two you just wrapped, and use another clamp to hold them in place while wrapping the wire around all four pieces of wire.
7. Repeat step 6 with the shorter two curled wires, and finish wrapping the wire around the six pieces of wire. Keep wrapping until you only have a little wire left.
6. Trim off the excess and file smooth.
7. Use flat nosed pliers to tighten the wrapped wires. It should be pretty tight.
8. Now use the round nosed pliers, and curl all the end of the wire that are at the top of the tree.
9. Finally, pull the curled wire away from the middle.
10. Add a little red ribbon at the top looping it through the curls, so it can be hung from your tree.
All graphics created by Tammy Powley.