Wire & Bead Spider
It’s that spooky time of year again. That means it is time for another Halloween project. Last year, I showed how to cast a spider as well as how to make some quickie spider jewelry using plastic spiders purchased from a craft store. This year, I’ve got a cool bead and wire spider. Since so many readers love beads and wire, I thought I’d be forgiven if I made another spider. I thought this was a fun project and not that difficult, so you might even be able to make them with children.
You’ll need:
1. Cut craft wire into 4 - 4 1/2 in pieces and 1 - 2 in. piece. 2. Make a small loop on the end of a 2 in. piece of wire and slip on an 8mm bead.
2. Group four 4 ½ in. pieces of wire together. Hold onto the 2 in. piece and use pliers to wrap the group of wires around this piece. (I did it twice.) Then use the pliers to squish the wrapped part of the wires close together. (This doesn’t have to look that good because it won’t show much when you’re finished.)
3. Spread out the wires - four on either side of the 2 in. piece.
4. Slip on the 12mm bead and push it tightly against the wrapped wires. Cut off excess wire (approx. ½ in.) and make a small loop. Unless you want to use this loop for holding the spider later (for example, on a necklace or decoration of some kind), press the loop flat against the bead, so it’s not sticking out.
5. Now it’s time to slip the seed beads and bugle beads onto the "legs" of your spider. Make sure they are snug up against the body of the spider. There are 5 seed beads and 4 bugle beads for each of the 8 legs of the spider. Each bead alternates: seed, bugle, seed, bugle, etc. ending with a seed bead.
6. After adding the beads to the first leg, cut off excess wire and use the round nosed pliers to make a tiny curl at the end of the wire to secure the beads. Flatten the curl using flat nosed pliers. Repeat this for all 8 legs.
7. The basic assembly of the spider is now complete. The final step is to curve and bend the legs so that your spider can stand up.
The finished spider is approx. 1 ¾" by 1 ¾", so you might want to where it as a pendant. If so, just make sure your loop at the top of the spider (in step 2) is large enough to allow for a chain or cord. If you want to make sure it’s extra secure, you might consider wrapping the wire around itself to make a more secure loop at the top. You could also make some spider earrings by just using smaller beads and less wire.
Comments? Questions? Ideas? Share them on the jewelry making forum.
Here's a printer friendly copy of this file.
All graphics created by Tammy Powley.
