How to Making a Wind Chime Using an Embroidery Hoop

How to Making a Wind Chime Using an Embroidery Hoop.

A wind chime crafted from seashells can be a simple and inexpensive way to remember a seaside vacation. This project can also be a fun and memorable way to spend time with a child, as they can help you design and construct the wind chimes. You only need a few tools and materials to create a variety of seashell wind chimes that are unique and beautiful.

Steps.

1. Gather your materials. For this project, you will need 24 shells of relatively uniform size, string or fishing line, the inner wood hoop from an embroidery hoop, a power drill with a 1/32 in (0.8 mm) or smaller drill bit, and a pair of scissors.

You can stain or paint your embroidery hoop if you wish to change the color of the wood.

2. Wash your seashells. If your seashells were gathered from a beach, it is best to clean them before using. Mix 1 part bleach with 3 parts water in a large bowl and soak your seashells in the mixture for several hours. If necessary, use an old toothbrush to remove grime and calcium buildup from the shells. Rinse them thoroughly with warm water and allow them to dry completely.

3. Mark 24 holes on the embroidery hoop. Place the hoop on a flat surface and use a pencil to mark out 24 evenly spaced points around its circumference. Do this by marking 1 point each at the top, bottom, left, and right areas of the hoop. Then add 4 more points at the midpoints between the first 4. Finally, fill each remaining space in with 2 equally spaced points.

4. Drill 24 holes in the hoop. Fit your drill with a small drill bit and create 24 holes in the hoop where you marked the points. The holes should be large enough to pass your string or fishing line through.

5. Drill holes in the shells. Drill a small hole through each shell using the same size drill bit as before. To help prevent the shell from cracking, you can cover the hole's location with a strip of masking tape before drilling. Remove the tape after making the hole.

The hole can be placed anywhere on the shell, keeping in mind that the position in which the shell hangs will be dictated by the hole's location.

6. Tie string to the shells. Cut your string into 24 separate pieces that are about 12 in (30 cm) long. Tie one end of each piece of string through the hole in each seashell using a triple knot. Cut off any excess string to neaten the appearance.

7. Hang the seashells from the embroidery hoop. Begin by tying the first seashell to a hole in the wooden hoop using the full 12 in (30 cm) of string. Tie the next shell to the loop, this time positioning the knot so that the new shell hangs just higher than its neighbor.

Make sure that each seashell is hung closely enough to its neighbor to strike against it in the breeze. This may require using greater or fewer than 24 shells depending on the size of your shells and your embroidery hoop.

8. Repeat this process for all 24 shells. Hang each one slightly higher than the last. This will create a pleasant cascading appearance. Once all of the strings are tied to the loop, you can cut off the excess string using your scissors.

9. Hang your seashell creation. You can use the same string or fishing line to hang the wooden hoop from a hook. The string can be looped through the same holes used to hang the shells if the holes are wide enough. If not, you can drill 4 new equally spaced holes to suspend the hoop from 4 pieces of string.

Things You'll Need.

Seas

Embroidery hoop

Power drill with 1/32 in (0.8 mm) drill bit

Scissors

Water

Dish soap

Pencil

Masking tape (optional)