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How to make a pair of wire wrapped elf ears
I make a lot of wire wrapped things but one of the big favorites seems to be the wire elf ears. Some of mine
can get pretty intricate and involved but this tutorial is aiming to be more easygoing.
Tools:
These are all the tools and supplies I used in this pair.
Round nose pliers
Wire cutters
18 gauge wire (I used tarnish free silver Parawire for all wire in these pictures  )
24 gauge wire
Even number of beads, stones, crystals
On to the Ears!
I don’t generally measure things with a ruler (I do a fair bit of “eyeballing” things, but I will try to give
approximate numbers or size references where I can.).
Your first two wires will be the basic frame of the ear, so these need to be about, or at least, 9 inches long
and for this pair, 18 gauge. Sometimes I use 16 gauge and once in a great while I use 20-the 20 gauge is thin
enough, though, to make the ears kind of flimsy and I don’t recommend it. Whatever length you choose, they
need to be the same length, so the ears match at the end.
Once you have these, take them together and, using your round nose pliers, bend one end of both wires into
a loop.
Once you do that, then you will bend the wire to form the basic over the ear part.
Next, you’ll take the part where my thumb is and bend it back and over to make the base of the ear.
Now we’re ready to get started with the actual wire wrapping!
You’ll first need to cut two more 18 gauge wires about 5 or 6 inches long. Then you’ll need about a foot of
the 24 gauge (Sometimes I use 26 gauge, but only when I need something to be very finely woven.).
Next, you’ll take one of your ear bases, one of the shorter wires and that foot of thin wire. Now you’ll hold
the ear base and short wire in your non-dominant hand (I am left handed, so please keep that in mind. If you
are right handed, you’ll be holding things the opposite way I do.) Then you’ll take the thin wire and add the
tail of it to the parts you’re holding in your offhand. I always leave a good inch or so tail, because I find it’s
easier to hold in place for a tighter wrap, but you will find what works best for you.
Then you’ll start wrapping. This is an easy 2/3 pattern. Two wraps around both wires, three around the
outside wire.
Do that up the side of the ear base until you like the way it looks. Try to keep the wire as tight as you can, so
that it holds together and so that it looks nice.
Don’t worry, though, if it’s not perfect, or if you miss a wrap-this will come with practice, and sometimes,
you’ll find that what you thought was a mistake, actually looks really good on the piece!
So, don’t be afraid to experiment.
Once you’re at this point, you’ll want to shape your top wire over a bit so that it begins to vaguely look like an
elf ear. Then with the rest of the length of wire, you’ll want to weave it back and forth between the two
wires, allowing them to separate and prepare you for the next part.
At this point, you’ll want to stop and do the same thing to the other ear. You could do one whole ear then go
back and do the other whole ear if that works for you. I have found that, for me, doing it this way makes it
much easier to make sure both ears match as much as possible.
At this point, your ears should look pretty much like this. Now it’s time to shape them and then wrap the
back side of them.
You’ll want to take both of your ears, and your round nose pliers and bend the tops of the ears to the shape
you want.
For the back side, you’ll need to cut another piece of the 24 gauge wire and wrap it like the front bit.
Although, I chose to wrap in a 3/3 formation. Three wraps around both of the wires, then three wraps
around the outside wire.
Once you’ve gotten the ear wrapped to your satisfaction, do the other ear as well.
Now it’s time for the beads!
I used different colors and sizes of Preciosa Crystals for this pair.
Cut a 4 inch piece of the 24 gauge and side one of your beads onto the center of it. I used one of the bigger
blue beads. Place it I the tip of the ear and wrap the wire ends around.
Once you’ve done that, do the same thing to the other ear.
They should look about like this.
Here’s the cool thing, though. At this point, you can pretty much do what you like with these ears to make
them yours.
I’m going to finish adding beads, and you’re welcome to do exactly what I do.
Basically all I did here was wrap down the front of the ear, adding beads where I thought they’d look nice.
Once you’ve done that, then, of course, do the other one.
Now we have a simple and pretty pair of elf ears. They’ll fit over your ear kind of like glasses do and they
should be fully adjustable to fit you no matter what shape or size your ears are. Do not be afraid to bend
them a bit until they’re exactly the way you want them. They are yours, after all!
Here they are, fitted to my ear, with all the loose ends curled and trimmed so they look nice and don’t snag
on things.
If you found this tutorial useful, I’d love to see your own ears! Send me pictures to [email protected] so
that I can post them on my Facebook page and my website.
Speaking of the website-check out bramblefae.com for news, pictures and other tutorials.