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Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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How-to: Aluminum Tiered Pendant Light Fixture

April 26, 2012 4 Comments

Metallics are so in this year. I had been looking to buy or make a hip, industrial light fixture for my place for awhile when I came across this tiered brass number at Urban Outfitters. Read on to check out how to make one for yourself for about $15.

Supplies

10 ft. aluminum flashing, 6 in. tall

tin snips

tape measure

a crayon

single hole punch

wire

nail clippers

Directions

Cut your aluminum flashing into 4′, 3′, 2′ and 1′ lengths using the tin snips. I snipped a guide line at the top and bottom of my flashing as shown to help cut straight.

Set aside the 1 foot piece. Mark each end of each piece of aluminum. I made 5 marks, 1 inch apart with crayon. Punch holes at each marker using a paper punch (yep, a paper punch on metal!). I was only able to punch about half way through the metal. Then, I used a nail clipper to bend back the metal and flattened it the rest of the way with my thumb. Check it out:

Next, cut four short lengths of wire. Thread the wire like twist ties through every two adjacent holes to create a loop with your aluminum flashing piece.

Punch three evenly-spaced holes along the top of each loop using the hole punch/nail clipper technique above.

Thread a long piece of wire through each of these new holes and hang them as shown. The hardest part is is getting them to hang level. I’m going to put three i-hooks in the ceiling around a built-in light fixture in my apartment to install this in my house. I can’t wait!

 

Filed Under: Home Decor, How-to Tagged With: aluminum flashing, diy, home decor, light fixture, tin snips, urban outfitters

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is an artist, author and crafts designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame. In addition to running the Hands Occupied Blog and Pattern Shop, you can find her making videos & co-hosting the Very Serious Crafts podcast.

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Comments

  1. Jennifer Davey

    April 30, 2013 at 7:23 pm

    Hi Heidi,
    A Crop-a-dile makes quick work of punching through tin, chip board and other thick items. you will get a nice clean hole and can save your nail clippers for your fingers. :)

    Reply
    • Heidi

      April 30, 2013 at 10:30 pm

      Yeah- I made that before I learned about the cropadile! Thanks, lady :)

      Reply
  2. will

    November 4, 2013 at 8:24 pm

    Aluminum flashing is an awesome material for a lot of different projects. As a long-term fan of the stuff, I have some additional advice to offer about it:

    a. Like any other thin-gauge sheet metal, Aluminum flashing has EXTREMELY sharp and slightly-serrated edges when cut with anything but a wide-mouthed, industrial-grade, bench-or-floor-mounted shear. BE CAREFUL! Chain mail and a falconer’s gauntlet wouldn’t really be overkill here.

    b. If you want to cut nice straight lines in your flashing, just use a steel ruler as a straight edge and score the aluminum with any ol’ razor knife – after a few firm passes with a dull razor, flashing snaps quickly and easily. A fresh razor blade will work as well, of course, but dull is better because the Aluminum will make it an old one in approximately 5 seconds.

    c. A 1/16″ drill bit makes holes in Aluminum flashing like nobody’s business (and if you’re a crafter who’s not comfortable using a power drill, you might not want to be messing around with those aforementioned sharp edges anyhow.)

    Reply
    • Heidi

      November 4, 2013 at 8:34 pm

      Thank you! That project was my first ever using aluminum flashing- your tips will be really helpful for my next one :)

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

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Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it shoul Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it should be. ☺️🎄The past few days have been filled with a lot of catching up on festive zoom calls & raising toasts to the camera. 🥂 Connecting with people has been a welcome change of pace! Now I’m feeling ready to meet my inevitable end-of-year deadlines. 😆
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Warmest wishes for the season, my friends! ❤️💛💙
Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker beh Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker behind Hands Occupied! 👋🏻 I’ve been enjoying making Reels a lot lately, but I wanted to bop in to share a regular photo & say hello. 🤓 
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rather than giving you my bio right now, I have a question. I just got this new sweater & I can’t stop imaging how funny it would be to wear this to a knitting class ... is that bad? 🤣🤣🤣
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Pictured: a blond woman with glasses wearing a sweater that reads “all your sweaters are ugly” standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is o Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is one of the most common methods for finishing a knitting project and helping ensure its final size and shape. Learn basic blocking for absolute beginners in an easy-to-follow (non-Reel!) video tutorial! Catch the tutorial on YouTube or the Hands Occupied Blog, link is in bio. 🧶 #handsoccupied #stopswatchandblockit #KPAmbassadorsDec20 #sponsored
Had to share this perfect capture of one of my fav Had to share this perfect capture of one of my favorite weird homemade Christmas ornaments: a simple macramé Santa face with beads for the eyes and nose! My Great-Grandma made it too. 🎄
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Might have to try making a quickie Reel tutorial for this guy - I think it’s the perfect project for it, don’t you? 🎅🏼 #handsoccupied #macrame
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