Metal mesh earrings...not so much something I'd want to wear!

Have you ever had what you consider an epic fail with a project?  I did recently!  And I thought I'd share it with you and how I plan to correct it :-)

I know it doesn't look too terribly bad up there, and all it needs is an ear wire to finish it off, but for soooo many reasons, I have no intention of adding one!  I never even made the mate.  In fact, as soon as this posts, I'll be taking it apart.

So what went wrong?  It started with my choice of metal mesh.  I used a very common wire mesh that is available through craft stores for modeling.  It is meant to create an armature that you can cover with plaster cloth or polymer clay, or something similar.  The edges are rough when it is cut into shapes, and I quickly decided that I really didn't want it hanging near my neck!  

The second issue is how rough the individual internal wires are.  I am really afraid that after a short while, my thread would end up cut through. What I really wanted to do when all the beads were stitched on was to twist it as you see at the top.  More strain on the thread, and now some of the little wires on the outsides broke their connections with their neighbors.  Yay!  Just what everyone wants...more sharp little wires swinging freely around their neck!

Yup...epic fail.  But shortly, I should be able to share some new earrings and other pieces with you made possible by wire mesh ribbon!  So stay turned...

[Later...check out the piece that I made using the wire mesh ribbon!]

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