Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Bra Wires into Boho Necklaces

 
 
 
 
You, my veteran followers, know I come up with the weirdest (or should I say the most practical) ideas when it comes to reusing / repurposing something. So if you were attracted by the title of this post... Yes.. it's true. I made necklaces using brassiere wires.
 
Well, don't be so surprised because this isn't anything new. Back in 2011 I met two wires which led a sad, dull and secluded life, confined to the silky walls of a lace brassiere. They always dreamed of having a more fulfilled life, one full with excitement and the joys of the fashion world, but alas! They weren't destined for anything bigger and it wasn't until I heard their desperate whisper that I decided to use my seam reaper and let them free.... and the rest is history.
 

 
But seriously. Back then, I got engulfed by the idea of repurposing bra wires and it even ended up in a magazine, so I decided to give the idea a new twist this time, hoping it will turn into something tangible, and it did.
 
How it all started? Well, I have always hated wearing underwired brassieres because I simply cannot endure the constant probing and prodding and I didn't need my OB to tell me they are major causes for numerous problems in women, so as soon as I buy them, the wires get out. And as I hate throwing away a good piece of wire (one can never know what one can do with it!) I came up with the idea of turning them into necklaces.
 
The crochet instructions are up there in the first link, while for these two I used a different technique which is quite simple, so anyone can do it.
 
Supplies:
* (preferably) brassier underwire
* crochet yarn / thread
* lots of beads (any shapes, sizes), tassels, ribbons.... whatever suits your fancy
* metal chain, jump rings, clasps
* (silicone glue)
 
 
 
Instructions:
Wrap each wire separately, tying a little knot at the ends and leave a long tail. When both are wrapped, apply glue and wrap the tails over the glued part.
 
For the purple/pink/orange one I used a big holed bead so, the place where the wrap ended had to be chunkier to fit / fill the hole and I also added glue to the bead itself to make the construction more stable. ALSO, if you plan on adding beads on the wire, this should be done before gluing. For this particular necklace I only decorated the lower wire by attaching beaded pins and tassels. I added (wrapped) metal caps to hide the chunky part that still peeked. On the ends I put clasps and joined it to bigger jump rings and a metal chain.
 
 
 
For the green necklace, I did the wrapping the same with the second tail being much longer which I used to wrap around both wires, but before that, I added some beads onto the wires, so first I suggest you have a design ready for this. I "closed" the necklace the same as I did the pink one.
 
So what do you think? Do you like these? Would you try making anything with underwires?
 

24 comments:

Atelier Marie-Lucienne said...

Absolutely brilliant and amazing and it looks stunningly beautiful. No-one can actually see the bra wires behind these most beautiful necklaces. You've made such lovely necklaces out of them it would have been a pitty to throw them away! I love them!
Have a great day,
Marjan
P.S.: I've just discarded a few bras, guess I'll have to retrieve something there too... (on our return though)

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

The necklaces are absolutely gorgeous. Years ago I started looking for wireless bras but so far haven't found one that is completely comfortable. The wire bras I do still have fit quite well and don't bother me, but if I start feeling that poking and prodding, then I get rid of them. Brilliant use of the wire.

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you Marjan!I've made a couple of different designs to try, which I believe would also be attractive, but have the collection to finish, so I'll leave that for some other time. Hope it won't take me years this time :p
Have a wonderful trip in Scotland! I'll be waiting for your photo travelogue :)

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you Tammy!

Divya N said...

I remember your earlier necklaces made with underwire and thought that they were brilliant. These are no different. I really like the butterfly thingies holding the wires together. I hate wired bras so I never buy them but one could always use plain wire for these gorgeous necklaces

Kate said...

Brilliant idea, Maya!

Maya Kuzman said...

I know you remember them Divya - thank you! What I like about bra wires is that they are stronger than any ordinary wire used for jewelry and with a pre-made shape that cannot be altered.

Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you Kate!

Cream Linen said...

Lovely and very original idea.

handmade by amalia said...

Beautiful. Love the colors.
Amalia
xo

myrica said...

Absolutely brilliant and amazing and it looks stunningly beautiful.I like your color you have on your necklace
Have a nice day

Alhana said...

A great idea I can't wait to put to work! Only need some scissors to "free" a brassiere and nice beads. :-)

Maya Kuzman said...

I hope you show it Alhana. I 'd love to see it!

Unknown said...

You are a genius! I've been wearing underwire bras forever. I never would have thought of this project. And, the necklaces are adorable! Pinning.

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

I love your pretty boho necklaces you made Maya. The colors of them are gorgeous too! :0)

CraftyHope said...

I don't think I've ever considered upcycling bra wires. Genius! They are some of the sturdiest wire I've ever encountered. I'm not sure why I hadn't considered this before. Thanks so much for the inspiration!

A Crafty Mix said...

LOL Maya, that's just brillient. I love this idea of yours so much. I would be proud to wear my bra wire around my neck :D

Mary K. said...

Maya you are a genius. If there is one thing that was useless it was these wires. Now you'll have to take the title of repurposing queen! They look gorgeous and no one would know they were humble bra wires.

Mia said...

Oh, Maya! What a great idea! Your necklaces are gorgeous! Stunning! I love them!

Sum of their Stories said...

This is brilliant, I'm amazed. What a clever and beautiful idea.

MixedKreations said...

What a clever idea, and what better was to reuse a bar wire, lol. Love the idea, and your lovely necklace.

Anonymous said...

Funny but brilliant idea! I always cut out the wires :-) Great way to use them!

Unknown said...

How beautiful they are. I just found them. I always like to play around and make things out of other items. Recently I received some hand-me-down cosmetic jewelry which I will remake. The first thing was to use a ring and make a bracelet. FYI there are always places like Goodwill that sell bras at a cheap price.

Unknown said...

Love it! I'm in the middle of research an article for my blog about repurposing items for jewellery and found this amazing idea. I'm going to be linking to it in the next couple of days as I think this is really great. x