Introduction: DIY Winged Ear Wrap

Using only some wire and pliers, you can whip up an ear wrap in under an hour. My Pin-spiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/530650768563928448/

Step 1: Cut a Piece of Wire...

Now hook the piece of wire around the back of your ear and bend it so it fits juuuuust right.

Step 2: Curl

Using your pliers, roll in the ends of the wire so that don't poke you... (Cuz ear wraps are not like a Pikachu reluctant to get on a bus ... you can't Poke-em-on)

Step 3: Draw Out Your Game Plan

Sketch a to-scale drawing of how you want the wing to look like. Make sure it's tall enough to stick up behind your ear!

Step 4: Anchor

Take your wire (still on the spool/coil) and wrap the end about a third of the way down the ear wire. It's easier if you clamp the ear curve and the long end of the wire with pliers in one hand and use your other hand to wrap the short end.

Snip off the excess short end.

Step 5: Start Shaping...

Put your ear wire up to your drawing and bend the long piece along the shape of the first "wing feather". You'll notice that what you have right now is more like a loop than a curvalicious wing feather.



Step 6: Add Definition


To make a nice pointy wing feather tip, grab the "wing feather" just a bit off from where you want the crease with pliers. Press the wire so you get a nice 90 degree-ish bend, then roll your plier-hand counter-clockwise a bit to get that hook-y tip. Go around where needed with pliers to curve the wing feather.

Step 7: Moving On

In between wing feathers, anchor your working wire to the ear wire by wrapping the it to the ear wire.

Step 8: Get Spikey

The next wing feathers less of a sassy tip and more of a straight-forward corner. To do that, go right up to it and clamp the round bend with your pliers to get a nice crisp corner.

Step 9: Continue!

Make more wing feathers and anchoring your working wire as you go. When you reach the last two baby feathers, make a loose M shape first, then go back in and pinch the middle of the M to get a more defined corner.
 Wrap the working wire around the ear wire a couple times and snip off.

Step 10: Completion (?)

You can now try on your new ear wrap!

Now, I could've stopped here, but I didn't like how it looks kind of messy because the wing feathers are sprawling apart....

Step 11: Tie It Up

My solution to the "sprawling feathers" problem was to tie them up together. Bring a piece of wire under  two neighboring "wing feather" wires and cross them. Then pull on both ends really hard so the know won't slip.

Step 12: Clip Off

Snip off the two ends. You might have to clamp the little knot thing you just made with your pliers so that the ends don't poke out. Just kind of nudge the pokey bits in.


Make more of these little knots on the other "wing feathers" that are too spread out.

Step 13: Fly Off!

Slip the ear wrap on and enjoy!

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Epilog Challenge V

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Epilog Challenge V