Wire Dress Wall Art Tutorial
Creating wall art isn’t something that should only be done by the pros. You can make your own with this DIY wire dress tutorial. They’re elegant, whimsical and loads of fun too.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love supporting our local artists, but if the only art you can afford is mass-produced, you may just want to get those creative juices flowing and make one a few of these instead 😉
Art is something that makes you breathe with a different kind of happiness. Anni Albers
And it’s such a fantastic feeling knowing that you made something yourself, am I right? 😉
Okay, before we get to the tutorial, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly newsletter so you’ll never miss a post!
What you need to make the wire dress
I love using wire to create art. It’s so relaxing, and the wire seems to take on a life of its own as you bend and twist it around a form. For the wire dresses, I used 14 and 20 gauge black jewelry wire. We had a whole bunch left over from when we made the tree of life.
Besides the wire you’ll also need:
- Wire cutters and needle nose pliers
- Rough sketch of a dress. You can download the ones I used here – dress 1 and here – dress 2. Just right click on the picture and select “Save Image As”.
- Paper and printer
- Sticky tape
- Protective glasses – wire tends to jump around a lot while you’re working with it, so those glasses are essential. You don’t want to stab your eyes out 😉
All righty then, let’s make some art, shall we? Before you start, you need to enlarge and print your rough sketch.
How to Enlarge and Print at Home
To enlarge a sketch you can either get a print shop to do it for you, or you can use a free online tool called blockposter.com and print them at home. Simply upload the sketch and choose a size. It’s pretty straightforward. I’ve added a video below that will show you how to use it.
If you use blockposter.com you need to tape all the pages together to form one large sketch or template.
Making the Wire Dress
We’ll be using the enlarged sketch to guide us while we make the dress. Tape the thicker wire (14 gauge) down somewhere on your sketch. When making the dresses, I usually start at the top and work my way down. With the first dress, I started in the middle of the neckline where the little bow goes…..
And on the second dress, I worked my way around the buttons first before doing the rest of the dress. Just follow the sketch lines with the wire and tape it down as you go. Sticky tape is your best friend when it comes to making wire art.
Don’t worry too much if the wire and the sketch don’t match up exactly. Let your hands guide you and go with the flow. For sharp bends, you may need to use your needle nose pliers. Or if you’re really strong you can do it by hand. I find that the pliers make it much easier to get the exact curve bend.
When adding interesting details, like flowers and ruffles, it’s best to use thinner wire. It’s more forgiving, easier to work with, and great for joining two pieces together.
You can watch the video below to see how I did those. For more wire-bending tips and tricks, you can have a look at how I made Mozart.
Making a Branch Hanger
To finish the wire dress off and add something a little more special, I made some hangers using dried branches. They would look lovely hanging from a piece of driftwood too. To make the branch hangers, look for “V” shaped branches or twigs that are about an inch thick.
Drill a hole through the branch at the point of the “V” and insert a hook-shaped piece of wire.
Use the thinner wire to attach the dress to the hanger.
Embellish the dress any way you want to. Ruffles or gathers work well ……..
……… or trim the wire dress with some flowers. It’s entirely up to you.
I would love to know what you think of the wire dresses.
Is it something you would make to hang on your wall?
If you like the idea of making a wire dress (or two 😉 ), don’t forget to pin it for later.
Pssst; if you want to try your hand at some other wire art projects, here are a few to get you started:
- Art Deco wire birdcage
- Writing with wire
- Creative wire picture frames
- Bicycle wheel tree of life
- Matilda the Spider’s web
And if you’re looking for some of the things we used, we’ve got you covered. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry, it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us make more amazing crafts to share with you 😉
And if you’d prefer to buy rather than DIY, then these beauties will work.
As always, here’s wishing you a beautiful, love-filled week. Happy crafting, my friend. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
What a beautiful piece of art, Michelle! I am so impressed by how lovely and creative this piece is. From the simplicity of the pattern to the end result, it is stunning. Thank you for sharing your incredible ideas.
You’re so welcome, Meegan and I’m really happy you like the wire dresses too.
This is fantastic! So clever making a pattern to go by. I love it! Pinned!
Thank you, Kim. Glad you enjoyed the tutorial and the pattern does make it so much easier when you’re a beginner.
This is really gorgeous, at first glance, it looks like a drawing sketch. Brilliant what you crafted it in wire.
I really love making wire art and the dresses are one of the easy ones that make a huge impact.
WANT for my garden but I’d have to make a way scaled-down version…totally art-challenged here, but you inspire me to try a teeny wire bit.
I’m so happy to hear that Cat. I hope your scaled-down version makes you want to make more. Wire art is so rewarding and you can make so many lovely things. Have fun
Wow, that is so pretty, it truly looks like a beautiful dress hanging and moving in the wind.
Thank you, Laurie. They’re whimsical and add something special to any space
What a cool idea for outdoor art!
Thanks so much, Maria. The wire dresses are definitely a hit and make quite the statement.
I’m not able to get the full tutorial what am I doing wrong
Oh dear Terry, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you struggling to download the images or is the written tutorial in the blog post unclear?
I LOVE THIS!!! <3 I have been really interested in doing wire/wall art for sometime now…I live in Texas and as you might guess barbed wire is plentiful. I know it is a much thicker wire than is in the video. Other than using a larger needle-nose pliers, do you have any pointers on how to simplify bending the thicker barbed wire?? Looking forward to seeing more of your projects!
Hey there Kim, so glad you like the dresses ? Other than pliers and really thick leather gloves ? basic wooden shapes help a lot. Softer wood works best. We’ve cut pine circles, triangles, and a square and use those to help shape the wire around. I hope it helps and that you have lots of fun making your wire art creations
You ARE a local artist!
? That’s so special, thank you. You’ve just made my day
I have loads of wire hangers. Would that type of wire work with this type of project? Not exactly sure what gauge it is.
Hey there Sandy, wire hangers could work, but they’ll be a little more difficult to bend. They’re normally a 10 or 12 gauge. If you can’t find jewelry wire I would suggest going to a hardware store and bending the various wires they sell. If you can bend it with your hands and it doesn’t jump back it will work. You can also ask for baling wire – that’s a 14 gauge. Best of luck and shout anytime if you need more info
When I click on the links you provided for the pics you made, they are the same one. Do you have the sketch of the dress that you actually show in this tutorial?
Thank you so much for pointing that out Michele. I’ve fixed the link so you should be able to download the sketches of both dresses now.
LOVE this!! I can’t wait to get my own wire and make one! This is one of THE most creative things I have ever seen. I’m signing up for your emails.
Thank you Tina, I’m so happy to hear that and really appreciate it
Oh my gosh Michelle, I think this one is the most amazing piece of art you’ve created, I’m blown away! This is so freakin unique! LOVE IT!
? ? ? ? ? I can’t tell you how much that means to mean Katrin. I love your decor style. Thanks so much
Michelle, your dress is truly a work of art! I can’t imagine how many hours it took to create it, but it is quite attractive. Where are you going to display it? I just love it!
Hey Florence, I missed you so much ? The dresses only take about 30 minutes to do once the template has been printed and taped together. These two are going down to our holiday home. I painted a portrait of the hubby a few years back and I’m hoping we can add a dress on either side of the portrait and start building up a gallery wall. Well that’s the plan anyway ?
You are so creative and talented, Michelle! This wire dressform art is truly stunning!
Thank you so much Gail, I really appreciate that. Your stuff is always so beautiful
This is totally amazing as always Michelle. I have been keeping an eye out for an antique dress form for my laundry room. This idea has possibilities. Pinning, I just love it.
So glad you like it Leanna. Thank you. The wire dress would look great in a laundry room
Dear Michelle, I had to look twice before I realised it is made of wire. Your talent and your ideas are amazing! This wire dress makes such a perfect focal point in a Garden. Looking forward to your new project ❤
Thank you so very much Ana. I’ve missed seeing you in the blogging world. I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the first signs of Spring in beautiful Croatia ?
Oh my word girl, just hang on…I had to pick my jaw up from the floor. Absolutely beautiful and if you didn’t live so far away, I’d be placing an order! Me and wire, no matter the gauge, equals lots of bandaids.
❤ One day when we’ve saved enough to go visit the kids on your side of the world Marie I’m bringing wire and beer with me, my friend, cos I’m so going to make you one while we catch up
These are too adorable! I cannot wait to try my hand at making one and incorporating my beads for embellishment. I do love the look of all wire, too!
I’m doing a little dance right now Kathryn. Adding a bead necklace or beaded buttons sounds amazing. Please, please share yours when your done
That is just divine. I love the touch of the branch hanger.
? Thank you Claire ?
How did you know? I just made a Pinterest board filled with wire art, but I couldn’t figure out how to fit it into my decor. And now here you have the perfect piece for my “French” Laundry/office/everything room.
Hey Dorothy ? I’m so happy to see you again. The wire dresses look great in any room but I bet you and Kim will take it to a whole new level. Making wire art is so much fun. I kinda zone out every time I make something
I LOVE these wire dresses! Thank you so much for posting the tutorial. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Cheryl
? Cheers Cheryl and happy St Paddy’s day to you too
This is just AMAZING! I think this would look so pretty hung in a sewing room or a little girls room, I just love it and your tutorial is perfect!
? Thank you so much Susan
What a stunning idea, Michelle!!!!!!!!!!! Kisses, my friend.
Thank you, Mia and kisses right back at you ?
This is sooo cool Michelle! I have worked with wire so I know how difficult it can be. This is truly amazing and beautiful!
Loved your videos very nicely done! I will have to check out that online tool.
BlockPoster is really handy. I use it all the time to print large things, especially transfers. No one has time to run off to the print shop ?
Michelle,
This is absolutely amazing!! And so intricate!! You must have the patience of Saint!! I love how it turned out!!
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment!!
Hugs,
Debbie
I don’t know about the patience bit Debbie ? The dresses are pretty quick to make once you get the feel of the wire and having a template to work from does make it so much easier
If this is not art then what???? I am absolutely amazed, my sweet friend by your fantasy and skills!!! Gorgeous!
? Thank you so much Christina
OMG, Michelle, what a fantastic idea! Those dresses are just gorgeous and real eye-catchers!!! ? Great job!
Thank you, my friend ?
Michelle this is truly a remarkable work of art. I know just how hard it is to work with wire, I don’t know why I know that but I do. You managed to wrestle that wire and create something so elegant and beautiful out of it. I would be proud to have it hanging on my wall.
So happy you like the dresses Mary ? Some wire is easier than others to twist and bend, it just depends on the gauge. Jewelry wire tends to be a little softer and more pliant and they do come in the most amazing colors too.
Outstanding. You are a true artist my friend.
? Thanks so much Kim
Wow, that is one awesome wire craft, Michelle! And I can imagine how much work is that, amazing! Love it!
? Thanks so much Mel. They go really quickly once you get the hang of bending the wire along the lines