This year at Bead and Button, I “bit the bullet” and splurged on Brenda Schweder’s “Now That’s a Jig” tool along with almost every accessory made to go with it. I’m still waiting for several items that were backordered – an XXS and XS bangle form and a punch/taks set, but I’ve been assured they will arrive soon! I have so many ideas for pieces I’d like to make with this tool! Having been really busy since returning from Bead & Button, I’ve only just started playing with it and I know the Jig will come in very handy for creating components like intricate ear wire designs, which can be a bit of a challenge to duplicate exactly. Here I’ve made simple looped dangle components for earrings…the one shown on the left is fresh off the Jig, while the other has been hammer textured and polished. I’ve also used the triangular-shaped peg to create multiple links that will be equal in size. The 16 gauge steel wire I used was unforgivingly stiff making it difficult to create sharp corners. After winding several passes of wire around the form to create a triangular-shaped coil, I separated it into links with the use of a heavy-duty flush cutter and then used flat-nosed pliers to sharpen corners as I hammer textured the triangular link (shown far right). I think these will be great fun to play with, especially when joined with geometrically beaded triangles! Now if I can just find more time to experiment with this!
