Balls made of chicken wire add many decorating possibilities to your home and garden. You can add moss to create a garden topiary, silk flowers for a kissing ball or even twinkle lights for an outdoor party decoration. Getting the finicky chicken wire into a spherical shape as opposed to a square can be a challenge. With the right manipulating and a bit of patience, you will quickly get the hang of it and be on your way to making chicken-wire creations.
Things You'll Need
- Work gloves
- Chicken wire, 2-foot roll
- Measuring tape
- Tin snips or wire cutters
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Cut a 46-inch piece of chicken wire from the roll. Roll the piece of wire so it forms a cylinder. Overlap one end 2 inches over the other.
Take the cut edges of the layer that is overlapped and bend them to wrap around the layer underneath. Twist them around the wire underneath to bind the layers together to secure the cylindrical shape.
Place the cylinder vertically on the work surface and stand on one of the ends. Fold a 4- to 6-inch section of the open end to the side and down – similar to wrapping the end of a present. The folds will take on a triangular shape. Hold the section down with your hand. Take the other hand and fold another section of similar size to the left of the first section in the same fashion. Move around the opening until it all sections have been folded down.
Flip the chicken wire over and bounce the closed end on the work surface to help round it out. Repeat the folding process for the other open end.
Shape the ball with your hands to work out any bumps or corners.