These bright, colorful dragonflies are made from clay pots with wire mesh wings. They would look wonderful in the garden, especially if you set them "flying" near a garden pond, but they would also bring a spot of unusual color and whimsy to a sunroom or sunny window.
Dragonfly Craft Supplies:
one 1 inch clay or wooden flowerpot
six ½ inch clay or wooden flower pots
14 inches of 22 gauge copper wire
8 inches of 26 gauge copper wire
6 x 3 inch piece of fine copper wire mesh
six 6mm beads
two or three 8mm beads
two 8mm beads (eye color)
metallic paint
Tools:
round nosed pliers
wire cutters
scissors
needle nosed pliers
paint brush
drill with a 1/8 inch drill bit
Clay Pot Dragonflies
Instructions:
Paint your pots whatever color you want or leave them plain, let dry. (It may be necessary to drill small holes in the tiny pot bottoms.) Trace a wing pattern on the wire mesh and cut it out. In the back of the 1 inch pot, drill two small holes, one over the other, to fasten the wings on. Feel free to paint and decorate the wings any way you want.
Thread one of the 6mm beads onto the wire and putting the ends together, bring bead to the bottom center. Twists wire a couple of times. Turning a ½ inch pot upside down, thread the two ends of the wire thru the hole in the bottom. Add a bead and thread another pot till all 6 are held together.
Taking the wings and about a 1inch piece of wire, bend it to make a narrow U shape. Place the center of the wings in the U of the wire and thread the two ends into the two holes from the back of the pot. Go inside and twist the wire snugly to attach the wings.
Take the wire threaded with the ½ inch pots and thread on the two plain 8mm beads, then put the wire ends thru the bottom of the 1 inch pot. Thread one of the ‘eye’ beads on each of the two pieces of wire and then twist the end once or twice to secure. Separate the wires and trim to about 1 inch or so each. Taking your round-ended pliers, fashion the antennae. Take the 8 inch piece of wire and thread one end between the eyes, bring up and twist to a spiral to be able to hang it. Loop the end around a pencil and twist a loop into it.
There is no specific template for the wings. You could make your own by tracing a pattern on paper until it looks the way that you want, then trace around that onto the wire mesh.
Reply to dophelia
Nancy – Ontario
Apr 29, 2009 - 01:47
Pattern for wings
kandace – GA
Oct 30, 2008 - 13:46
I'm glad I found this craft, because I work for a teacher who loves dragonflies, and this
would be a great and easy christmas gift. Thanks!
Debb – n.e. ohio
Oct 13, 2008 - 18:05
could you plesae tell me where I can find those small pots ? please
Reply to Debb
Jane Lake – Editor at AllFreeCrafts
Oct 14, 2008 - 15:21
Michaels, or other large craft stores, usually stock clay pots from teeny tiny size to patio size. But I've also seen them occasionally in the craft section of dollar stores.
