Well I'm getting ready for a festival and I have tons of bags to make and I realized that I was in need of quite a few purse handles. I wanted beaded ones but decided that I was too el cheapo to pay so much for something so little. So I made my own. Now I've gotten so much from this place that I feel like sharing... So here is my contribution...
They can be totally customized. Large small, squarish... Whatever! Feel free to march to your own beat with this... With the wire and the beads (wooden beads from the Dollar Store) I can make about 6 or 7 sets of regular sized handles for about $10.
So here is what you'll need:
- some wire (home-depot about $4... I got the 16g)
- some wire cutters
- a pair of vise grips
- a pair of plyers (needle nose is probably better, but these will do as well)
- beads of your choice
*Step 1*
Cut two peices of your wire to the desired lenght of your handle and then some. Make sure you have enough extra lenght because you'll need it.
*Step 2*
Bend it like so...
*Step 3*
And like so.... Or be original and come up with something different.
*Step 4*
Clamp your vise grips down on the hoop you just made. This will make it easier to wrap the hell out of the remaining wire tail using either your fingers or the pliers... (note: I am not one of those wire-wrapping people so I'm sure this could be done in a much more professional looking way, thumbs up to you if you can wrap wire good and all fancy!).
*Step 5*
Beads! Beads! Beads!!! Add as many as you'd like. I'm also thinking that those felted beads would be rather cool for something like this.
*Step 6*
Take the remaining wire and do this. Make sure you leave enough space to wrap the little tail again.
*Step 7*
Now do this. Notice How there is a space for wrapping the wire??
*Step 8*
Basically it's the same as step 4.
Now you're done!
Easy as pie.
Hope I saved you all lots of money!!!
*EDIT*
Here are two pictures of purses I had made using these handles (the pictures aren't very good seeing as I was pretty busy at the festival and took a few quick quick snapshots):
