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<< Previous   of   Next >> Jonetta Rose Coffin  (click to enlarge) Wire is shaped using various patterns on several nail boards. Jonetta Rose Coffin  (click to enlarge) Jonetta Rose Coffin  (click to enlarge) Jonetta Rose Coffin  (click to enlarge) A soap pouch is made from an exfoliating washcloth.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, May 4, 2008 Craft Corner: Quick gift for Mom, then more wire works By Jonetta Rose Coffin Special to The Herald Mother's Day was sneaky this year. One minute we were shaking the snow off of our primroses; next thing we knew, the second Sunday in May was only a week away. Of course, Mother Nature was no help with her chilly April surprise, so while working on our planned project for this week's Craft Corner, it suddenly dawned on us that we hadn't yet done anything for Mom's special day. With that in mind, here's a quick little gift that even the most craft-challenged among us can put together in a jiffy: stash a bar of Mom's favorite soap in a little pouch made of netting or an exfoliating washcloth. For our sample (see photo), we cut two oval pieces from an exfoliating washcloth (about $3 in the cosmetics department at Rite-Aid), making the ovals 2 to 3 inches larger than the soap. We determined the seam allowance by placing the soap inside the ovals, then used a large needle and yarn to embroider a flower on one of the pieces and sewed around the edges, leaving an opening large enough to slide the soap inside. Then we sewed the rest of the way around and trimmed the edges to about 1/4-inch. You can use other embellishments as long as they are soft and waterproof, and Mom can replace the soap when the first bar is used up if you tie a bow in the yarn instead of a knot when finishing off. Now let's move on to our previously scheduled project. Last week we mentioned making homemade Thing-A-Ma-Jig tools for use in creating wire shapes and, as shown, we used little wooden plaques and nails to make several colorful wire-working boards. We found unfinished wooden plaques at Michael's for 69 cents each, painted and coated them with decoupage medium, then pounded in nails for the shaping guides. The first nails we used were way too long -- the result of a miscalculation in the thickness of the board -- and it was difficult to manipulate the wire around them. We went to a shorter version which worked much better, but avoid nails that are too short as the wire loops will pop off as you work. You can follow the jig patterns in our samples to make your boards, most of which we found in "Making Bead & Wire Jewelry: Simple Techniques, Stunning Designs," by Dawn Cusick (Lark Books, $18.95, soft cover), or you can design your own. It's fine to put multiple designs on one board (the boards used for our samples are about 6 inches in diameter) as long as you have room to work comfortably, and keep in mind that you can change the shape by simply putting the loops to the inside rather than the outside as you wrap. A few things to remember… If you'll be working a lot with heavier wire, use heavier nails so that they won't bend or wobble as you work. Use nails without a flat head so that you can remove your wire pieces easily. Thicker nails will make the loops in your designs bigger and more rounded. The shaping process may seem simple, but trust us, you'll need to practice to get the feel of it. Don't get frustrated; just keep your wits about you (loop directions sometimes change) and slow down when you hit a snag. If you have to start over, you can save the wire and make it into a coil or use it for other things, but you'll need a smooth, fresh piece of wire for your re-attempt -- unless you don't mind unsightly bends and bumps in the finished product. Several little boards, spools of craft wire, wire cutters and needle-nose pliers can make a fun gift for a crafty friend, and you can attach a "cheat sheet" of wire-wrapping diagrams to complete the package. Contact Jonetta Coffin at jonnirose@netzero.net or C/O Herald Features, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206.

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