Cloche Encounters of the Chicken Wire Kind. . .

Hello my friends, last week I mentioned that I would be sharing how to make chicken wire cloches.

 

 

They really aren't difficult.  Just take a little time and patience Fun to use in the garden and I love them for styling vignettes.

 

Supplies needed:

Chicken wire

Wire cutters

needle nose pliers

gloves

extra wire (opt.)

 

I have my cute craft day ladies to help me demonstrate.

 

Margo is showing that you just curl the chicken wire around to see about how big you want your cloche.  One garden book showed that you could form it around a plastic pot, but I don't find it necessary.  This works just great!

 

 

Next, using wire cutters cut clear up the chicken wire.  Leaving an excess of 1-2 octagons for overlapping.

 

 

Cut close to one of the octagons, not in the middle.  That way you will have plenty to wrap with.

 

This photo is totally blurry, but I was too lazy to take another one.  :)  I think you can see what I mean.

 

 

 

Kimi is showing her piece all cut.

 

(ignore the messy deck)

 

 

That nice preformed edge will be the bottom of your cloche.

 

overlap and line up the octagons.  Wearing gloves and using needle nose pliers, weave that little wire piece in and around until you get a nice tight circumference.  You can work with the shape more later. I can wrap it better with just my hands, but some people are masters with the needle nose pliers.

 

Now this is where the fun begins.  Decide if you want your cloche smaller.  If so, you can cut some off the top.  Just be careful to not cut too much. Also now is when you decide if you want to add something to the top or finish with just the wire.

 

 

The top one I just kept working with the wire until I formed a round knob on top.

 

This one I kind of flaired it out.

 

Or you can cut around your top.  About every other one and add something cute to it.  This is where you will use the extra wire.

She will continue working this in towards the center until she gets a small hole.  You will wrap the ends in and out just like you did to form the circumference.

Here are three that doorknobs were added to the top.  I made this one a few years ago.  The pearls are a napkin ring.  Use wire to attach your knob and then put a washer underneath the screw inside to hold it in place.  Hubby cut the screw off for me.

Karen's-she will doll it up at home and
screw will be cut off

Paula's knob had fabulous aqua patina on the bottom.

 

The possibilities are endless.  Joanne used a darling thrift find salt shaker on the top of hers.  Love her ribbons too!

 

 

I love this knob that looks like a faucet and cute tag Cathy used!

 

 

She also made this sweet little one.  Embellishing them

 is so much fun!

 

 

Paula turned one of hers into a southern belle.

 

 

Shirley is one of our circus theme lovers.  How cute is this?

She made hers kind of oval shaped.  Clever!

 

 

Are you wondering why I have Margo and Kimi demonstrating, but then don't show their cloches?  Silly me!  We did this twice.  I forgot to take instruction photos the first time and forgot to take finished cloche photos the second.  Ha, ha!  How funny is that?

 

In my post My Fair Ladies the cloches became wire skirts.  Like I said, the possibilities are endless! 

 

Hope you will share your chicken wire cloches if you decide to give this a try!

hugs,

Jann

 

I will be sharing with these lovely parties:

Thoughts of Home