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DIY Barbed Wire Dragonfly

July 1, 2015 By Twin Acres Homestead 10 Comments

 

IMG_1015

With all the rain we’ve been getting, I have been looking for projects to keep me busy and these rustic dragonfly’s were both quick and easy to make.  Total time to make these was an hour for the large dragonfly and 1/2  hour for the smaller one, perfect for an afternoon project while A sleeps.

If you have access to fields that use to contain cattle then you may have an abundance of barbed wire.  Our fields are all lined with rows of it, long since fallen into disrepair and taken over by the ground and weeds.  For most, barbed wire is a nuisance and/or a danger to current livestock.  By making these garden dragonfly’s we have found a great use for the barbed wire that we need to get rid of.

While cruising through Pinterest I came across this DIY, the original pin is here, but I couldn’t find any directions for making them, just the pictures.  So I documented the steps I took to make these rustic garden decorations.

Materials Needed:

photo 1 (4)

  • Barbed Wire
  • Pliers
  • Wire Cutters
  • Tape Measure
  • Thick Gloves

Be sure to wear pants and shoes to avoid getting the barbs in your legs or feet (speaking from experience).   Also, because the wire is rusted pieces will flake off and cover whatever surface you are working on, work outside to avoid a big clean up.

Step 1 

Gather some barbed wire, for us this meant going to the fields and cutting it.  The amount you will need depends on the size of dragonfly you want to make.  If you don’t have your own wire, try asking a farmer, rancher or homesteader if they have any that you could collect.

IMG_1009 IMG_1008

Step 2

Start with one end of the wire and once you know how long you want the dragonfly to be simply fold the wire over at that point.  Fold the wire back along the body of the dragonfly until you are a few inches from the original end, fold again and start to wrap the wire around the body.  Continue folding and wrapping the wire around the body until it is as thick as you’d like, remember to build the body thicker towards the head.

FullSizeRender (1)

 

Step 3

Wrap the wire tightly around the top of the body to form the head of the fly, keep wrapping until the head is the size you would like.

IMG_1001

Note – Use the pliers to pinch any wire that stick out, using the pliers also helps to pull the wire tight.  

Step 4

Cut the wire once the head is done, tuck the end of the cut wire into itself to prevent it from unwinding.

IMG_0997

 

Note – When working with old wire it may break, simply  tuck the ends into the body of the dragonfly and continue wrapping the wire, it will hold itself.

 

Step 5

Form the wings by making a figure eight with the wire, wrap the ends tightly in the middle to hold the wings together.   Use the measuring tape to make sure the wings are even.  Cut off any extra wire.

IMG_1004 IMG_1002

 

Step 6

Place the wings on top of the body of the dragonfly in the position that you want.  Using two cut pieces of wire (a few inches long), cross them over one another making an ‘x’ on top of the wings, flip the dragonfly over and twist the ends of the cut wire together to hold the wings in place (use the pliers to get a tighter hold).   Cut off any extra wire and use the pliers to bend the wire down.

photo 1 (3)photo 3 (3)

 

Step 7

Repeat step 5 for the second set of wings, be sure to make them approximately 2 inches shorter than the previous set.

IMG_1005

 

Step 8 

Attach the second set of wings to the body of the dragonfly underneath the first set of wings.

 

Step 9

Using leftover pieces of wire, cut two antennae for the head of the dragonfly (in the original picture old insulators were used, I didn’t have any).  Cut the wire so there is a barb on the top.  Work the bottom of the wire into the head, bending and twisting the wire to hold it in place.

IMG_0999

 

Step 10

Mount the dragonfly where you want it, and you’re all done.

photo 2 (4)

 

Enjoy 🙂

Shared with Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Pinterest chick purple_zpsn0xebyi5

 

 

 

and the Homestead Blog Hop

Rooster sitting in a barn on a rural farm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do use old farm materials to do crafts?  What do you use?

 

 

Filed Under: DIY, Gardening Tagged With: barbed wire, DIY, dragonfly, garden decor, gardening

Comments

  1. vicki says

    July 1, 2015 at 9:37 pm

    Those are adorable!!! Great project idea and thank you for the pictures. That helps a lot..
    vicki recently posted…The Babies Are Doing Well..My Profile

    Reply
    • Twin Acres Homestead says

      July 2, 2015 at 7:24 am

      Glad you like them, I had fun making them.
      Twin Acres Homestead recently posted…DIY Barbed Wire DragonflyMy Profile

      Reply
  2. iveth says

    July 2, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    Really nice project … great idea to spend time with my big boy… thanks for sharing #4Dlove2Linky
    iveth recently posted…4 D’ Love 2 Link up Wednesday #3My Profile

    Reply
  3. Jamie says

    July 2, 2015 at 8:06 pm

    That is beautiful!! Would be perfect on our back porch! 🙂
    Jamie recently posted…Make a 4th of July Wreath #TBCCraftersMy Profile

    Reply
    • Twin Acres Homestead says

      July 3, 2015 at 7:30 am

      Thanks, they look great on our garden shed 🙂

      Reply
  4. Stacey Crowder says

    July 2, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    HI there! Those are so cute! I wish I could do things like that but I am not patient enough maybe to make them. Awesome blog! #4Dlove2Linky
    Stacey Crowder recently posted…Nothing Much Just Some RamblingsMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Misty says

    July 4, 2015 at 4:18 am

    Soo super cute! I love it. THank you for sharing
    Misty recently posted…Rainbow Layered JelloMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Jennifer A says

    July 7, 2015 at 10:09 pm

    Very cool! Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop!
    Jennifer A recently posted…Homestead Blog Hop #37!My Profile

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 43 Top Homesteading Articles of 2015 says:
    December 30, 2015 at 11:21 pm

    […] cattle then you may have an abundance of barbed wire. Twin Acres Homestead has a tutorial for a DIY Barbed Wire Dragonfly that is […]

    Reply
  2. How To Make A Barbed Wire Dragonfly » iSeeiDoiMake says:
    May 4, 2016 at 11:42 am

    […] How To Make A Barbed Wire Dragonfly […]

    Reply

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About Me

Hello and welcome, I'm Lindsey, together with my husband and young children we are working to live a simpler and more sustainable life, one small step at a time. Join us as we start to live a more natural life, sharing tips and tricks along the way.

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