Rainbows are so beautiful and I have been loving all the different rainbow trends that have been popular lately. In fact, it inspired me to create these textured earrings a few months ago and I’m happy to share how I made them now. Read on to learn how to make your own with this rainbow earrings tutorial.
To make your own pair you will need:
- Embroidery Thread
- Yarn, Fabric, etc. for wrapping
- Earwires (Earring Findings)
- 26 gauge wire
- Scissors
- Hot Glue Gun
- Ruler
- Jewelry Pliers
You will want to start by cutting the embroidery thread and wire piece a bit longer than you plan on it being so it can be trimmed at the end. Cut one wire piece and six lengths of embroidery thread (you can just cut six individual pieces, but I looped it) at 7.5″ long.
Cut wire and thread for two more the same way. I played around with the length when figuring out how to make these and while you can shorten each layer some at this point (as you can see I did in my photos), you might as well do them the same since the wrapping will be where the final length is really decided. Keep it easy as possible I say hahaha.
Twist the wire around the embroidery thread like in the above picture. This allows for it to stay together without adding extra glue which would add to the chunkiness of the finished product.
Now you can prepare for the wrapping. You can use yarn, fabric, maybe even try ribbons or leather? I like how you can use different materials to add different textures. I stuck with yarn and fabric, but that doesn’t mean you have to.
You will want to begin gluing with at least one inch of wire and thread left unwrapped on one end. Then as you wrap, add dabs of hot glue to keep it in place. Try not to make the glue dabs really thick so it doesn’t squish out or make a big bump. Each layer will need to be wrapped a little shorter than the previous one. The longest one will be the top layer and the shortest will be the inside layer. You can see in the pictures below the wrapping lengths I chose.
For the big rainbows: Top layer is wrapped about 3.25″, the middle is wrapped about 3″, and the bottom layer is wrapped about 2.75″.
For the shorter rainbows: Top layer is wrapped about 2.5″, middle layer is wrapped about 2.25″, and bottom is wrapped about 2″.
Next you will glue the layers together. I start with the bottom (shortest) and middle layers first. Bend the bottom layer into a rainbow shape and bend the middle layer over it to make sure they will match up nicely. Match the wrapped ends on one side and begin gluing together while shaping the middle layer to the bottom one. You will have some flexibility with the shaping even after they are glued, you just want to make sure that the wrapped ends meet on each side when curved.
Glue on the top layer the same way.
Cut off the extra length of wires as close as you can to the wrapped area.
Then trim the embroidery thread ends to your liking. Mine are all around a .5″ length.
Use jewelry pliers to open up the loop on the earrings.
Hook the earring into the top middle of each rainbow and then use pliers to close up the loop a bit. They stay on very well and I felt no need for any glue at this point.
Another option would be to use a jump ring and turn this into a necklace if you want. It’s a very versatile pile you can have lots of fun being creative with. I hope you enjoyed this rainbow earring tutorial and find it useful Please share your creations on social media and tag it with #happytogetherbyjess or send me a pic. I love seeing what y’all make!
