Creating the Branches
Purchase 25 feet (7.6 m) of 22-gauge wire. Metal wire can be found at a local craft store. You will find it in the jewelry making supply aisle. It’s usually sold in a gold or silver finish.
Cut the wire into 10 strips. Each strip will be cut to be 2 ½ feet (76 cm) long. Make the cut using a pair of wire cutters. Set the wires off to the side. The wire cutters are sharp. Use caution.
Add a bead to the first wire. String a bead onto your first wire. Bring it down to the center of the wire. Bend the wire around the bead until the ends meet. Twist the wire tightly, moving down from the bead about ¾ inch (19 mm). You will be left with two ends on either side of the twist.
Add two more beads to the wire. Add another bead to one of the ends of your wire. Bend and twist the wire around the bead like you did in the last step. You will have about ¾ inch (19 mm) of wire below the bead. Repeat this step on the remaining end of the wire.
Secure the beads. You now have three beads on the wire in a “t” shape. Secure the beads by twisting the remaining wire together below the “t”. Twist these two wires together about ¾ inch (19 mm).
Repeat this process with the remaining nine wires. Add three beads to each of the remaining wires. You will end up with 10 “t” shaped wires with three beads on each wire.
Twisting the Wire into a Tree
Twist two branches together. Cross two branches over each other and twist them together at the base of the beads. Do this with each of the branches so that you have five pairings.
Twist the grouped branches into a tree. Take one pairing of branches and cross another pairing over it. Begin twisting the pairings together. Add another pairing, and another, until you have added all of the pairings. Continue twisting the pairings together. This twisting is creating the “trunk” of the tree. Create a thick, wide trunk by twisting the bases of the branches on top of each other. Create a thin, swirling trunk by stretching the bases of the branches out as your twist them together.
Create a ball at the bottom of the tree. When you near the bottom of the wires, twist the wires around each other to create a ball. This ball will help to stabilize the tree within its container.
Securing the Tree in a Container
Place the tree into the desired container. Add a liberal amount of glue to the bottom of the container using a hot glue gun. Push the ball of the tree into the hot glue. Hold onto the tree while the glue dries. The container can be a small planter or decorative bowl.
Add one layer of pebbles to the container. While the glue is still hot, add a layer of pebbles to the container. All of the pebbles should fit down into the glue. They should be surrounding the tree trunk. They will offer the tree more support once all of the glue is dry. Remember to continue to hold the tree while adding the pebbles. If you need to free your hands, prop the tree up with something to prevent it from falling over. Work quickly as your glue will dry within one to two minutes.
Glue more pebbles inside of the container. Add another layer of glue on top of the first layer of pebbles. Continue to add pebbles to the glue. Repeat this process several times until you have reached the top of the container.
Adjust the branches. Once the glue has dried, you can adjust your tree branches. Bend the wire branches so that the tree takes your desired shape. Turn the branches down to resemble a weeping willow tree. Fray the branches out and slightly up to resemble a maple or oak tree.
Finished.
Comments
0 comment