How to make the Tufted and Horned Puffin Legs
Special Notes:
1. Keep a very slight pressure on the embroidery floss as you form the feet, but, not so much that you bend the outside wires in toward the center.
2. When you wrap the center toe, you will have to wrap over the previous wrap a total of two times or so to keep the center toe from getting to long.
3. With some practice I know you'll make two fine puffin feet!
Step 1
Cut 6 - 3 1/2" lengths of 20 gauge copper wire.
Step 2
Bundle into groups of three and tape ends together.
Step 3
Fasten the taped end of one group of wires into the chuck of an electric hand drill, like you would a drill bit.
Step 4
Tightly pinch together the wires 3/4" from the other end (the grove in the jaw of jewelry pliers works great for this, see below).
Slowly start the drill to twist the wires together between the pliers and the drill chuck.
Repeat with the other group of wires.
Slowly start the drill to twist the wires together between the pliers and the drill chuck.
Repeat with the other group of wires.
A pair of Jewelry Pliers
Notice the small grove in the jaw.
Step 5
Splay out the toes to the width suggested in the feet illustration.
Step 6
Using six strands of embroidery floss that is pinched between your forefingers and matches the orange in the beak, begin wrapping the splayed wires to form the puffin feet.
a) Starting two inches from the end of the embroidery floss, take a couple of wraps around the base of the of one of the legs.
b) Take the long end of the floss and go to one of the outside wires, going over and under it.
c) Go to the center toe. Go under and completely around it.
d) Go to the third wire, bring the floss under and then over the top of it.
e) Go under the center wire again and wrap all the way around it.
f) Go to the other outside toe.
g) Repeat steps d - f until the foot is the size of the illustration in the pattern.
a) Starting two inches from the end of the embroidery floss, take a couple of wraps around the base of the of one of the legs.
b) Take the long end of the floss and go to one of the outside wires, going over and under it.
c) Go to the center toe. Go under and completely around it.
d) Go to the third wire, bring the floss under and then over the top of it.
e) Go under the center wire again and wrap all the way around it.
f) Go to the other outside toe.
g) Repeat steps d - f until the foot is the size of the illustration in the pattern.
Step 7
Continue to wrap to suggested size in pattern.
Make your last wrap on the center wire.
Pull the embroidery floss along the center a the base of the foot of the base of the leg.
Make your last wrap on the center wire.
Pull the embroidery floss along the center a the base of the foot of the base of the leg.
Step 8
Evenly wrap the twisted wires of the leg with the embroidery floss.
Stop 1 1/2" up the leg.
Stop 1 1/2" up the leg.
Step 9
Dab craft glue around the last couple of wraps and let dry.
When dry cut off the excess wire and floss.
When dry cut off the excess wire and floss.
Step 10
Using wire cutters cut the excess wire from the puffin toes leaving just under 1/8" of exposed wire.
Using needle nose or jewelry pliers, bend the ends to form the puffin toes.
Using needle nose or jewelry pliers, bend the ends to form the puffin toes.