WireWork

Turn spectacular buttons into fashionable earrings by framing a button with a spiral of wire. Hammer and antique the spiral to mirror the button’s vintage style. Unable to find vintage buttons? Not to worry. Check local fabric stores for wonderful reproductions. – Wendy Witchner

Who’s got the button?

A

1. To make a head pin, cut a 1-in. (2.5cm) piece of wire. Place 1⁄8 in. (3mm) of the wire on a bench block or anvil. Hammer the tip of the wire several times until it forms a paddle shape. Smooth the edges with a file.

B

2. String a 2mm spacer, 4mm crystal, spacer, 6mm crystal, and a spacer on the head pin. Make a plain loop (How-Tos) above the bead, per-pendicular to the paddle.

C

3. Cut a 7-in. (18cm) piece of wire. Make a loop in the wire and thread it through the button’s shank. Wrap the wire around the shank. Forming the wire with pliers and your fingers, bring it out to the edge (this will be the top) and spiral it around the perimeter of the button, encircling it 11⁄2 times.

D

4. Make a small v-shaped bend in the wire at the bottom of the second coil.

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©2005 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.

SupplyList• 2 3⁄4-7⁄8-in. (2-2.2cm) buttons

with shanks• 2 6mm bicone crystals• 2 4mm bicone crystals• 6 2mm round spacers• 18 in. (46cm) 22-gauge

wire, half hard

• pair of earring wires• ball-peen hammer• metal file or emery board• bench block or anvil• chainnose and roundnose

pliers• diagonal wire cutters• blackening agent (Black

Max) or liver of sulfur

F

6. Remove the button by opening the loop. Place the outer coils of the spiral on the bench block or anvil and hammer them to add texture and to strengthen the shape. If desired, antique the wire with a blackening agent, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

E

5. Complete the second coil. Trim the wire approximately 1⁄2 in. (1.3cm) beyond the top. With roundnose pliers, turn a small loop in the opposite direction of the spi-ral. The loop and the v-shaped bend should be aligned.

H

8. Open the loop on the earring wire, attach the top loop of the earring, and close the loop. Make a second earring the mirror image of the first. ✤

G

7. Reattach the button and reshape the spiral. Open the loop on the crystal dangle, attach it at the v-shaped bend, and close the loop.