Craft Check: Make Your Own Tiara
February 2008 Issue
Features
- From the Editors
- Craft Check: Make Your Own Tiara
- Gaming in the Media: “I’m Not Offended, I’m Just Bored”: Gawker Cuts to the Heart of our Apathy
- Market to Me: Marketing Consoles
Interviews
- Industry Interview: Kelley Barnes-Herrmann
- Video Interview: Gabrielle Munoz
Articles
- An Atypical Princess: Ashelia B’Nargin Dalmasca
Author: Melissa Velte
- Princess Peach: Feminist?
Author: spacepope4u
- Should Gamers Embrace Femininity?
Author: Natalie Hill
Melissa discusses they ways in which Final Fantasy XII's Ashe overcomes negative princess stereotypes.
spacepope4u takes a look at the portrayal of Princess Peach and analyzes her history from a feminist perspective.
Natalie makes the case that embracing femininity allows for more diversity in gaming.
Gamer Stories
Reviews
Odds 'n Ends
What makes a princess? Is it the heritage? The upbringing? The attitude? Nah - I think we all know it’s the tiara! This particular tiara is a special one: it’s a (very) simplified version of the one I made for Robyn to wear at her wedding [Editor’s note: see “Just Gimme the Tiara,” in this issue]. Although that tiara was much fancier, you can see the beginnings of it in this straight-forward design. It’s also tremendously versatile, appropriate for princesses of any age, gender, or personal style.
The cool thing about this pattern is that it’s adaptable to a wide range of materials. Below, I used 24-gauge copper wire and miscellaneous beads, but you can do the same thing with sterling silver and Swarovski crystals, or pipe cleaners and pony beads.
Cost: depends on materials - anywhere from free, if you use scrap wire and leftover beads, to $100+ with gold and gems! I’d estimate that the materials for the tiara pictured cost around $2 or $3.
Time: under half an hour.
Skill level: basic hand-eye coordination and the ability to work with small parts (beads) is all that’s required. Very young kids will need adult supervision.
Equipment:
- Approximately four feet of wire. For the example tiara, I used 24-gauge copper wire from a hardware store, because it’s cheap, versatile, pretty, and narrow enough to go through most beads. I’d stick with 20-gauge or higher, though, because the thicker the wire is, the more difficult it will be to manipulate.
- Needle-nose pliers.
- Wire cutters of some sort. Many pliers have built-in wire cutters, and most thinner wire can be cut with scissors (as long as you’re not worried about nicking the blades).
- Beads. I like to use a variety, but you can design a tiara with a matching set, if you’re so inclined. The tiara pictured used thirteen beads.
- A pencil, chopstick, dowel, or pair of chain-nose pliers.
- Bobby pins or barrettes.
Step 1: Thread ‘n Twist
Thread the first bead onto the wire, about three inches from the end (if you’re making a symmetrical tiara, I recommend starting in the middle and working outward).
Once the bead is on the wire, hold the bead with one hand and use the other hand to cross and then twist an inch or so of wire at the bead’s base.
Step 2: Repeat as needed
Repeat the first step until you’ve used up your beads. On this piece, I’ve put the twisted bits at about half-inch intervals; you can thread them as close or far as you like.
On longer twists, you might find it helpful to grip the wire with the needle-nose pliers. Don’t grasp the bead, though - glass and stone beads are fairly fragile, and they’re likely to break if you squeeze them with metal pliers.
Step 3: End loops
Once you have the beaded portion of the tiara as long as you want it, it’s time to pull out your pencil (or chopstick, or knitting needle, or other longish cylindrical thing. For the sake of simplicity, it’ll be a pencil from here on) and make a loop of wire around it about a quarter of an inch from the last twist.
Step 4: Wrap
With the wire looped around the pencil, wrap the loose end tightly around the bit between the pencil and the base of the last twist.
Step 5: Trim and finish
Once your wrapping has reached the base of the last twist, trim the wire as close as possible with wire cutters and smooth the remaining end down with the needle-nose pliers. If it’s sharp, you may want to file it down with a needle file, as well.
When the wire is trimmed and smoothed, pull the pencil out and repeat on the other side.
Step 6: Pin it on
You’ll attach your tiara to your hair by threading bobby pins or barrettes through - you guessed it - those loops at the end.
Step 7: Revel in your Princess Power!
I like the versatility of this tiara, because EVERYONE can be a princess. Check out Classical Princess Katie…
…and Punk Rock Princess Rachel!
Step 8: Twist it up (optional)
One simple way to change the style of your tiara is to add some twirls and kinks to the wire. The end result is a funky, more organic looking tiara:
Special thanks to Katie Moody, without whose photography skills, killer smile, apartment floor, and general awesomeness this craft check would never have happened.
To see more of Rachel’s lovely wirework, visit her Etsy store, Whimsy & Brimstone.
