Turquoise Dreams Mixed Media Necklace Tutorial
by Poppy Johal.
(You can read the story of this mixed media piece here.)
Pendant
Cut two pieces of 18 gauge copper wire. Length will depend on the size of your donut and how loose or tight you want your wraps. My donut is 2” (5.08 cm) so I used 16” (40.64 cm) for the bottom and 11” (27.94 cm) for the top wrap. Round the wire ends before wrapping.
For the bottom bend the longer wire in half and then wrap each end until just enough wire left on each end to make the spirals.
Lift the spiral, hammer it and then with flat nose pliers bend it back to lay flush against the donut.
Wrap the top of the donut with the shorter wire loosely so that you have enough room to insert the bail through it and allow room for the pendant to swing.
Necklace
Cut three 1” wide strips of quilting fabric to your desired length of necklace. My finished turquoise braid is approx. 18” long so add 6” extra to the length.
Cut two pieces of 20 gauge wire approx. 10” long. Hold all three fabric strips together and wrap one end of the 20 gauge wire as shown (approx. 4” of wire). Make a 90 degree bend on the long end, slide a bead cone over the wire to cover the wrap and make a wrapped loop for jump ring and toggle clasp.
Braid the fabric just as you would braid your hair – firm but not tight. Finish off the second end the same way as the first one. Attach jump rings and toggle clasp.
Fold the entire braid in half to find the center point – open a jump ring and slide through the braid at the center point. Depending on how long your necklace is and how many dangles you want to hang, insert jump rings 1” apart. I usually lay the braid flat so I am attaching the jump rings all facing one way.
Time to make your dangles! Use small and large beads, metal beads and bead caps, charms, etc. or mix them all. I used bead caps on some in the turquoise necklace.
Attach the dangles and the donut to the jump rings and show off your masterpiece!
Poppy Johal
Golden Poppy Jewelry
