Hatpins are decorative pins that help women secure hats so they do not fly away when the wind blows. Hats had fallen out of favor until the recent engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The lovely Kate appears to have brought large hats back to the masses. No need to wait for the Kentucky Derby to get out your old hat... or to brandish that wonderful find from the estate sale.
Hats are making a come back and that means a renewed need for hatpins! We made this simple hatpin using wire and beer bottle cap. We used 16-gauge nickle silver wire because nickel silver is quite strong and is unlikely to bend with use over time. (Of course, some folks are allergic to nickel. Don't use nickel silver if you are allergic to nickel. Stainless steel is a good substitute.) You can also use brass, copper, sterling silver, gold-fill or even gold for this project, but those are all softer metals that are not as great to use as a stick pin or hat pin.
Materials
Bottle cap
16-gauge wire
Clutch finding
JB Weld
 |
| Before: bottle cap and wire |
Tools
Wire cutter
Vise
Ball pein hammer
Drill &
size 55 drill bit
Step 1
Measure a 5-inch piece of 16-gauge nickel silver wire. Cut the wire using a wire cutter.
Step 2
Secure the wire in a vise so that only 1/4-inch of the wire shows. Hit the top of the wire with a hammer to flatten that end of the wire and create a "head" for the pin. Remove the wire from the vise. Sand away tool marks, if any.
Step 3
Sharpen the other end of the wire to a point using a file. Be sure the point is
 |
| Feed the wire through the bottle cap |
centered and that the point has a gradual slope that will easily pass through fabric.
Step 4
Mark the bottle cap with an automatic center punch and prepare to drill two holes in the bottle cap. Check to be sure the two holes are aligned and the wire will pass through the two holes. Drill the holes using a size 55 drill bit.
Step 5
"; Sandra Salamony; 2011. 
No comments:
Post a Comment