Friday, May 4, 2012

How to Make Your Own DIY Blocking Wires







I recently made these handy little things for a recent blocking extravaganza and I couldn't wait to share with you!  You know the pricey blocking wires out there?  Well, I decided to make my own out of coat hangers...the hangers I used are a little thicker than the store bought ones, so I would recommend these for the less delicate blocking projects.


All you need are some coated hangers, wire cutters and nail polish.  It is very important you use coated hangers for this project, bare metal ones run the risk of getting rust all over your beautiful work...not good.



I originally chose my cute little jewelry wire cutters to snip the wire...nope.  You definitely need regular wire cutters from your tool box, the wire is no joke.  With the wire cutters, snip off the long, flat bottom portion of the hanger,


Now you have your blocking wire, but you're not quite finished yet, remember our discussion about rust?  Well don't forget the ends now that have exposed metal...


A quick little dab of nail polish at ether end will take care of that.  Why the red?  I tried clear and couldn't see where the polish was and where it wasn't, so the red helped to get the entire exposed metal end covered up.  Now, let dry and start blocking!


When you finish your DIY blocking wires, you can use these super cheap blocking mats too!  Happy blocking!



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4 comments:

  1. That's pretty cool! :) But {and I feel kinda stupid asking this} how on earth do you block something? I know I'm supposed to soak the object, but after that, I'm completely lost :P

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    1. Oh my gosh! Don't feel stupid! Anyway, you're on the right track, one way to block is to soak the item (you can also spray it) then pin it back to "open" it up to show off all of those gorgeous stitches you worked so hard on...it really makes a difference, then let dry and wear with pride! Actually, as we speak, I'm putting a more in depth tutorial on this subject, so stay tuned!!! :-)

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  2. so what do you do with the wires

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    Replies

    1. They're used for blocking finished pieces, all you do is run the wires through the edges of your piece and block as usual. It helps to create a nice straight and uniform edge.

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