Fern Weave Pendant Tutorial By Julie Hulick

Materials:
One cabochon approximately 45-48mm long.

20 Feet (6.10 meters) of 28 gauge dead soft

wire for weaving.

3 Feet (1 meter) of 20g dead soft wire for the

base (cut into 4, 9in (23cm), pieces)

Tools:
Chain Nose Pliers (I prefer bent nose), Round
nose pliers, Bail Pliers or something to bend the
bail around, knitting needly, chop stick, etc.
Nylon Jaw Pliers, Kumihimo Bobbin for holding
your weaving wire.

I grew up in the San Bernardino

Mountains. One of my favorite
childhood memories was
watching the ferns grow and
uncurl every spring.

I’ll never forget their smell or

the calm they created. This
weave reminds me of those
ferns. I am happy to share them
with you.
Step 1:

Choosing your cabochon. You can use

just about any shape as long as it
comes up to a point at the top. This
pattern will work with teardrops,
shields and free-forms just as well as
a marquise.

Step 2:

I picked this beautiful labradorite

long marquise. It is a 47mm long
stone and about 17mm wide.

Step 3:

If you have a kumihimo bobbin, (and I

highly recommend them) you will
want to wind your 28g wire onto it.

Cut your 20g wire into 4 pieces. Each

piece should be 9 inches (23cm) long.
These measurements will be good for
a cabochon 47mm long, or smaller.
Step 4:

You need to determine how long you will

need to weave to go around the outer
edge of the stone. You can measure
around the stone with a cloth measuring
tape or roll the stone along a ruler.

Step 5:

My stone is 47mm long but when I roll

my stone along the ruler I find that,
taking the arch into account, my stone is
50mm long on each side. So I will need
to weave 100mm of fern weave to go
around my stone.

Find the center point of one of your 9

inch (23cm) base wires. If you are left
handed you will move out from the
center to your right. If you are right
handed move out from the center point
to your left. Since I am weaving 100mm
of fern weave I will start weaving 50mm
from the center.

Step 6:

Coil the end of your 28g

weaving wire onto the 20g
base wires 4-5 times to
anchor. If you are left handed
(left photos) you will be
weaving from right to left.
Right handed (right photos)
you will weave from left to
right. You want your weaving
wire to come from the back
and up and over to the front
of your base wire.
Step 7:

Bring the second base

wire in, under the first.
Wrap your weaving wire
down over the second
base wire, coming up the
back and between the
two base wires and back
to the front of your work.

Step 8:

Bring the third base wire

in, under the second.
Wrap your weaving wire
down over the third base
wire, coming up the back
and between the two
bottom base wires and
back to the front of your
work.

Step 9:

Bring the forth base wire

in, under the previous
three. Wrap your weav-
ing wire down over the
forth base wire. Then
coming up the back of
your work to the very
top of the first base wire.
Step 10:

Bring your weaving over

the front of all four wires
and then back up the
back, as shown. Be very
careful not to wrap the
four base wires too tightly
together. You need to
keep your distance be-
tween each of the four
base wires to be able to
continue weaving your
28g wire between them.

Step 11:

Repeat the wrap from

Step 10. You will want the
weaving wire to create
two ‘lines’ running parallel
top to bottom across your
work.

Step 12:

With the weaving wire to

the back of your piece,
bring it to the front be-
tween the bottom two
base wires, then down to
the bottom and back up
the back of your work.
Step 13:

With your weaving wire at

the back of your work
again, you are going to
bring it back to the front
between the top two base
wires. Then path the wire
back downward.

Step 14:

Weave the weaving wire

to the back of your work
by passing it from the
front, to the back, be-
tween the bottom two
base wires. Then path
your wire pointing up the
back of your piece.

Step 15:

Wrap your weaving wire

over the top of your base
wires and weave it be-
tween the center two base
wires and path back up the
back of your piece.
Step 16:

Coil your weaving wire

three times on the top
base wire. Using your
nylon jaw pliers, com-
press your weave tightly.

If you don’t have nylon

jaw pliers you can com-
press the weave with a
scrap piece of denim.

Step 17:

Repeat Step 7-16.

Step 18:

Continue repeating Steps

7-16, be sure to compress
your weave between
each completed fern.
Step 19:

Weave enough of the fern pattern to

go all the way around your stone.
Your weave will be placed in the
center of your base wires with nearly
equal lengths left un-woven on each
side of the woven pattern. I finished
100mm for my labradorite. Using your
nylon pliers, flatted and compress
your weave. Keep your weaving wire
attached.

Step 20:

Starting at the top, wrap your weave

snuggly around your cabochon.

Step 21:

Your weave should lean in, toward

your stone. You do not want the weave
at a 90 degree angle to your stone or
the stone will pop out the front.

At the top of your stone, your weave

should line up with only a small gap.
You may decide at this time to weave
one more fern, or take one out.
Step 22:

Fan out your base wires. The two

most outside wires on each side
can stay together. They will be
moved to the back to hold in the
stone.

The four base wires in the inside

will become the double layered
bail.

Step 23:

With your weaving wire still

attached, you are going to weave
the inner two base wires together.
These will become the outer layer of
the bail.

You are going to weave 35mm of

ladder weave. If you already know
how to do that, carry onto Step 30.

Step 24:

Holding the two inner base wires

together, but leaving enough space
between them to weave in your 28g
weaving wire.

Pass the weaving wire from the side

you are starting on, over to the op-
posite side. Keep your weaving wire
on the outside of the base wires, do
not criss cross between them.
Step 25:

Wrap your weaving wire around

your right base wire one time,
then bring the weaving wire back
across the front to be wrapped
again around the opposite frame
wire.

Step 26:

Wrap your weaving wire one time

around the left base wire. Then
continue the weaving wire around
the back to the right base wire.

Step 27:

Continue circling the two base

wires with the weaving wire in this
manner, wrapping the weaving
wire one time around each base
wire as it wraps around to the other
side.
 Step 28:

Be sure to keep the spacing even

between your two base wires.

Step 29:

Every few rounds, use your nylon jaw

pliers to compress your weave.

Step 30:

Continue the ladder weave for 35mm

then trim off your weaving wire.
Step 31:

Place your cabochon into the back of

your wire work. Make sure the frame
is fit properly and evenly formed.

Step 32:

Bend your outer two sets of base

wires down over the back of the
cabochon. You want these base
wires to fit snuggle over the back of
your cabochon. You may want to
remove your cabochon and push the
base wires in slightly deeper than
what you would be able to do with
the stone in place. This will ensure a
snug fit when you put your stone
back in.
Step 33:

Your back base wires should sweep

inward to meet each other.

Now wrap your weaving wire

around one set of the back base
wires. You are going to twine these 4
base wires together.
 Step 34:

Wrap the weaving wire one full

rotation around the opposite set of
base wires.

Step 35:

Continue the twining pattern by

crossing to the first base wire,
coiling one time around it, then
crossing back to the other wire.

Step 36:

You only need to twine these four

base wires together for about 10-14
rotations.

Then working with one set of the

base wires you are going to wrap a
zipper weave to the point where the
base wires cross the frame.
Step 37:

A zipper weave is a repeating pat-

tern where you coil one of the base
wires 4 times, then coil the two
base wires together twice.

Once you get to the edge of the

fern woven frame, curve your two
zipper woven base wires back
inward and trim your weaving wire
off of your bobbin. You want to give
yourself about 2 feet of 28g weav-
ing wire to continue working with.

Step 38:

With your weaving wire, bind the

zipper woven base wires to the
outer edge base wire of the fern
woven frame. You want this bind to
be 3-4 rotations and should fit in
with your zipper pattern.

Step 39:

Continue weaving your zipper weave,

leaving about 1cm from the end of
your zipper weave to the base of your
pendant.

Trim off your weaving wire and reat-

tach it to the opposite side. Repeat
Steps 36-39, leaving your weaving
wire attached at the end.
Step 40:

Bend your second zipper weave

into the first one and angle all 4 of
the back base wires downward
and parallel to each other.

Step 41:

Using the weaving wire still

attached, twine the two sets of
base wires together for 3 rota-
tions.

Step 42:

Separate out the outer two base

wires from the back, as shown here.
Continue to twine the two inner
base wires together leaving about
5-6mm to the end of the pendant.
Step 43:

Trim your two separated outer

base wires to about 6mm and
curl then inward using round
nose pliers.

Step 44:

Curl up your remaining two base

wires, as shown.

Step 45:

Using your attached weaving wire,

bind the curled base wire to the
frame, after the bind, coil the weav-
ing wire around the frame a few
more times and trim it off. Trim
your bound base wire to about
5mm after the bind and using your
round nosed pliers, curl the base
wire.
Step 46:

Attach your weaving wire to the last

back base wire and repeat step 45.

Your cabochon is now secure and

you can finish your bail.

Step 47:

Bend your ladder woven section for-

ward to get it out of the way. You are
going to weave the inner, wider layer
of your bail.

Step 48:

Attach your weaving wire to one of

the remaining base wires. Use your
chain nose pliers to compress that
bind slightly so it doesn’t slide up
your bail. Trim off the little weaving
wire tail.
 Step 49:

Using your twine weave, and with your

two base wires angeled outward
slightly, weave for 10mm.

Step 50:

Using your chain nose pliers, angle

the two base wires inward so that
they run straight up and down. Con-
tinue twining for 6mm.

Step 51:

Using your chain nose pliers again,

angle your two base wires inward
toward each other, then back to
straight after 10mm.
Step 52:

Continue twining the final 10mm of

the bail and a few extra rounds once
the bail is together again. Trim off
your weaving wire.

Step 53:

Insert your two bail wires from the

twined section into the space under
the ladder weave and on top of the
tip of the cabochon.

Step 54:

If you have trouble keeping an

open loop in the bail as you pull
threw the base wires, you can use
a form to bend the bail around.
Either your bail pliers or a knitting
needle or whatever small circular
object you have handy.
Step 55:

Wrap your ladder weave over the

top of your twined bail layer. I like
to keep a gap between these two
layers as an interesting design
element.

If you’d rather they laid flush on

top of one another, you can unrav-
el a little bit of your ladder weave
until you have the height that you
prefer.

Flair out your two base wires from

your ladder weave layer.
Step 56:

Flair out the two wires of your

twined layer section that are in
front of your pendant. Wrap them
tightly around the base of the bail,
from the front to the back. They
should lay just on top of the two
base wires from the ladder layer.
Step 57:

Very snuggly, coil your two ladder

layer base wires around your two
twine layer base wires, 2 full tight
rotations.
Step 58:

Cut the tails of the ladder woven

layer off flush underneath of the
tight coils that you just made. Then
using your chain nose pliers com-
press the two coils to lock them in
place.

Step 59:

Cut your final two base wires off

with 6mm left after the coils

Step 60:

Using your chain nose pliers, bend

the tails of the twine layer base wires
up, into the space in the back of the
bail, at the base.
 Step 61:

With your chain nose pliers, you

can squeeze the two base wire
coils toward each other to tighten
up those back bail bindings.

Step 62:

Oxidize, seal or polish as desired.

Well done!

Please do not distribute, lend or copy.

Do not mass produce.
Please give credit to the Teacher.

Copyright 2015
Julie Hulick
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