https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/butterfly-bookmarkpendant • Posted by Conn
Tired of lacking a bookmark whenever you're in dire need of one? (and hate dog-eared pages? God forbid..) Like to wear necklaces with butterfly pendants? Then this is the perfect project for you! I came up with the design for the butterfly a while ago when I was fiddling with some leftover copper wire from a physics project. The bookmark function didn't occur to me until I was scrambling for one, and I later thought it would look nice as a pendant (I like wings; just look at my username). My pragmatic side loved the practicality, and my inner bookworm just said "Finally." before shoving her nose into another novel. And thus you have the duel-function butterfly in front of you. It's as perfect as a love story; I know (humor intended).
Tired of lacking a bookmark whenever you're in dire need of one? (and hate dog-eared pages? God forbid..) Like to wear necklaces with butterfly pendants? Then this is the perfect project for you! I came up with the design for the butterfly a while ago when I was fiddling with some leftover copper wire from a physics project. The bookmark function didn't occur to me until I was scrambling for one, and I later thought it would look nice as a pendant (I like wings; just look at my username). My pragmatic side loved the practicality, and my inner bookworm just said "Finally." before shoving her nose into another novel. And thus you have the duel-function butterfly in front of you. It's as perfect as a love story; I know (humor intended).
Start by making a small loop at the end of your wire.
Then curve the wire up and begin to bend back in preparation for a loop.
Complete the loop. This loop will mark the tip of your wing. Notice which part of the wire is on top of which part. This is important.
Afterward, curve the wire back down and create a little hill along the edge of the wing.
Start a curve for the second half. Make a loop like in the first half to mark the tip of the bottom part of the wing. Again, notice which part of the wire is on top of which part.
Cut the wire end short...
and curl the end into a small circle. One wing done!
Make the other wing by using your first one as a guide.
Arrange the wings next to each other and use a pencil to draw a template for the butterfly body so you know how long it has to be. The design for the body is basically a really long and thin U with two circles/swirls (antenna) on top.
Take your wire and bend one end into a swirl.
Use your template to bend the place where the bottom of the U will be. Only do this part for now; you'll finish the body and other antennae later after wing attachment.
Use your thinner wire to wrap the bottom part of the wing to the bottom of the U.
Wrap the wire along the small hill OR you could wrap the wire along the thicker wire below the hill. That will make the butterfly's wings harder to "flutter."
Use the thin wire to wrap the top part of the wing to the upper part of the body close to the antennae.
Cut the thin wire short and use pliers to press the end as flat and close to the body as possible.
Repeat the previous steps to attach the other wing to the other half of the body.
Once you've attached both wings, cut short the wire still attached to the body, making sure you leave enough room to curl the end to complete the other antennae. Bend the body's U so that the two wings are close together.
Curl the other end to complete the other antennae, and your butterfly is finished.
Insert a jump ring through one of the spirals of an antennae and then use it to attach the butterfly to chain for a necklace. Anndddd you're done!
Now when you're in dire need of a bookmark, you can just open the jump ring, remove the butterfly, and use it to save your page. NOTE: I think it'd be a good idea to add another small charm or bead to the necklace so that when you do remove the butterfly, your necklace won't just be a plain chain. Just a thought. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and find it useful!