Flower Power - How to make giant tissue paper blooms

Summers officially here and I'm thrilled to be spending my Friday afternoons running the DIY- Make it here, take it there, teen program at our local library.

Last week was our first Friday and I was happy to see familiar faces from last year (a couple of whom are now college kids) along with newcomers. This tissue paper flower project was a huge success, easy enough that everyone felt confident and dove right in.

 Before you pull out the tissue paper the first step is it twist plastic beads onto either end of three - 4" wire lengths.

I used the Toner Fun wire I had on hand, you could easily substitute a lightweight 22 or 24 gauge floral wire. Be sure to save your scissors and use wire cutters to cut the wire lengths. When you fold the three wires in half they'll create a six bead flower center. Set them aside until you're ready to assemble the flower.

Tissue usually paper comes in 24" x 36" inch sheets. Stack four different colored sheets together, fold them in half and then in half again. This will give you four sets of quarter sized sheets. Each flower takes a single stack of four sheets. I pre-cut the tissue paper but encouraged the teens to mix and match the sheets to create their own color combinations. Starting on the narrow edge, fold up the bottom edge and then accordion fold the remaining length. It's just like making a fan, back and forth, creasing each new fold line.

Fold down the top inch and half of a 20 gauge fabric covered floral stem and then trap the centers of the three wire stamens and the folded paper in the bent wire. Twist the wire end around itself under the paper. If the paper is loose enough to wiggle free, twist it a couple more time to tighten the loop.

Twist the base of the wire stamens a couple times so that they stand erect. The next step is to select what shape to cut on either end of the fan. Each of the following three cuts create a different shaped petal and flower. Making one and half inch slits into spaced a quarter inch apart will create pompom carnation like flowers.

Making a v shape will yield a pointed lily petals.

A rounded n shaped end will produce a standard rounded petal.

Once you've cut your petal shape, gently spread open either side of the fan.

Starting in the middle closest to the stamens, pull one layer of petals up to the center of the flower. Slowly bring each tissue paper layer up behind the layer before it.

Once you've separated the tissue paper petals on one side repeat the process with the other side

Here's a lily that is blooming with color!

I loved watching the tables filling up with colorful blooms! Don't hesitate to try this with younger children or even adults. It's a great project to liven up a rainy summer day.

 

Rainsticks!

Watch these creative kids turn a paper tube into a beautiful instrument during my first 'One World, Many Stories' craft workshop at Curtis Memorial library. Rainsticks originated from Chile and are traditionally made with dried cactus that are spiked with thorns or small nails. Our rainsticks are child friendly and recycle paper tubes!

This was a bring your own paper tube activity. We found that rigid tubes work best and you get a more interesting rainfall sound from gift wrap length tubes.

The wonderful librarians assembled the necessary materials for each tube:
Aluminum foil (cut to the length of the tube).
1/3 cup of rice
2 rubber bands
Colored paper tape
Adhesive gems
5" x 5" wax paper and packing paper squares
Colorful yarn scraps

Some friends brought super long tubes!

We cut a length of foil to match the length of each tube. It was up to the kids and their parents to cut the foil lengthwise into three equal strips. The strips are crunched and then slid into the tube. Their purpose is to slow the traveling rice and resonate it's sound. If the foil is crunched too tightly they don't slow the rice and if they're left too wide the rice can't travel freely from one end of the tube to the other.

 Perfect crunching technique!

The next step is to decorate the paper tube with paper tape strips.

Sometimes little fingers need a little help.

We intentional purchased an assortment of sizes so thinner tape can be placed over thick tape.

In case you haven't had first hand experience, kids love tape!

Adhesive gemstones were applied to the blank areas (Oriental trading is a great source to buy these in bulk).

We supplied colorful yarn to over wrap the rubber bands.

Lay the paper square over the wax paper square and center it over the top of one of the ends. Use a rubber band to tightly wrap the paper over the top of the tube.We had colored yarn available to over wrap the rubber bands.

The rice was premeasured in 3oz paper cups, for easy pouring into the tube. Once you have one end covered you can pour in the rice.

Add a second paper covering over the end of the tube. Once the ends are secure you're ready to invert your rainstick and listen to the gentle sounds of pouring 'rain'.

Shoulder strap anyone?

I'm starting think my library workshops are all powerful, it's been drizzling for two days now and there's no end in sight for the weekend.

Serious last minute adjustments.

If you missed this workshop (it maxed out at a hundred preregistered children) I'll be doing it again at the Freeport library on July 19th. Please be sure to call in a reservation.

His rainstick is taller than he is and check out that tassel!

Steampunk Claytraptions!

 I began this sample during my demo and added to it during the workshop.

A few weeks ago I held a Steampunk Claytraption workshop for local teens at the library. To my surprise we had a full house that included a significant group of guys. These kids were well versed in Steampunk and came ready to create.

An empty watch case and strap became the perfect frame for a teen creation.

For those who aren't hip to the term Steampunk, it's a science fiction movement that came into prominence during the 1980s. Steampunk is set in 19th century Victorian Britain where steam power was still widely used. Steampunk creations often feature futuristic innovations as perceived by period fashion, architecture, and culture.

Melissa caught me in action conditioning the clay.

To get them started I shared a quick demo in conditioning polymer clay in their hands. Once it was pliable I showed them how easy it was to insert the hardware directly into the clay. I brought a generous of selection of silver copper bronze and black polymer clay to complement the metal.

Fabulous vintage clock work pieces, we limited each participant to just two so we would have enough for the group.

Our wonderful teen librarian was able to secure a generous donation of vintage clock gears and parts. I scoured my studio and turned up a plethora of scrapbooking embellishments; small hinges, rivets, brads, charms, and metal alphabet letters. I also grabbed a selection of chain, silver, bronze and gold wire, along with several pairs of wire cutters. The last step was to hit up my husband Jon's hardware supplies for small screws.

 My dentist offered me sterilized dental tools for jewelry making. The kids loved working with them, they were instrumental in setting small wires and engraving patterns.

The teens created freely, using whatever combination of materials they desired. The only restriction was the two vintage piece limit.

 I was thrilled with the incredible variety of the projects. Even with a similar heart theme these two pieces are distinctively different. One is flying on shards of metal and wire whereas the other floating on cloud like wings.

I circulated the room to check that the Claytraptions were strong enough to survive the baking required to cure the polymer. Thin sections of clay are apt to break.  I also made sure all the embedded metal pieces were securely anchored in place.

If time permitted they would have all gladly stayed and created additional Claytraptions. We quickly decided to repeat the workshop this summer. In an amazing coincidence Jon came home from work that night with a bag full of watch parts from the repair shop down the street from his office. I can't wait to see what they'll create next time.

  I love the use of the hinge and chain on this pair of golden wings.

Make it here, take it there: crafts with Heidi Boyd

Curtis Memorial Library

If you're entering middle school this fall (6th grade) join the creativity!

3:30pm Friday afternoons through the month of July.

6/24 Mexican Paper Flowers, 7/1 Indian Anklets, 7/8 Parisian Mirror Frames, 7/15 Steampunk Claytraptions, 7/22 Chinese Lanterns, 7/22 Japanese Folded Books, 8/5 Thai String Dolls.

Quilt Market Butterflies

It's a treat to be able to share a current design project on my blog. Most of what I work on needs to be kept under wraps before it appears in books and magazines. I was delighted to make these butterflies for National Nonwovens Quilt Market booth. They manufacture gorgeous wool felts and roving products. The company supplies me with a selection of their product for my publishing work. I was especially grateful to have an array of their felt on hand while I worked through the designs for my newest book Stitched Whimsy, a playful pairing of felt and fabric (October 2011 North Light books).

They choose a butterfly theme for their trade booth and asked me to make a pair. Once I pulled out my butterfly guide and stack of felt, I couldn't stop at two. I expanded the project to four distinctly different butterflies in order to better showcase their product.

To make the pattern I simply folded a sheet of paper in half and then used the guide to draw half a butterfly wing.  I cut the wing shape out of both layers of paper. Once unfolded I had a symmetrical paper pattern for the first layer of felt. I continued using the folded paper technique to make two to four additional smaller patterns for the overlays.

I stacked and pinned the wing layers together. In some cases I snipped holes or cut triangular darts into the overlays to reveal the color underneath. I machine stitched the layers together, creating a decorative network of freestyle seams.

The butterfly bodies began with a twisted chenille stem armature that I wrapped in wool roving. I needle felted all sides of the body to insure the roving was tightly anchored in place. The final step was to hand stitch the back of the body to the finished wings. If you're in Salt Lake City for the show be sure to stop by the booth and check out my warm woolen butterflies from Maine.

Flower Crowns for May Day!

Happiness is watching children joyously dancing around the May pole. A symbolic ritual that chases away cold winter winds and welcomes springs blooming flowers and trees. As the mom of a kindergartner this was our first time celebrating May day at our local elementary school.

The children were divided into two groups; the youngest simply skipped around the pole, the older children looped and wove the ribbons.

We had a few after school rehearsals to practiced lining up skipping and dancing around the pole. During one of the practices I realized they needed someone to make thirty seven crowns. I quickly volunteered and set off to raid the spring garland display at JoAnn's Fabric store.

Stacks of twisted crowns filling my family room couch. These are the easy crowns made from the lightweight garland.

I was unable to find enough of one kind of garland so my method for making the crowns adjusted with the available materials. Lightweight berry garlands could simply be cut in half and wound into two separate crowns.

Heavy weight wire cutters and pliers were necessary to cut the wire vines apart. You can see the flower sprays that were pulled out of the garland at the top of the frame.

The other garland consisted of a heavy brown vine and lighter green stems. I had to pull this garland completely apart. I used wire cutters to clip the heavy vines and twisted them circles that were slightly too small for my head. I wrapped the loose sprays to the vine with lightweight plastic coated Fun Wire (Toner). the green wires of two floral sprays could also be twisted together to make a single crown. It took more work but I was able to get five crowns out of each these garlands.

Simply hold the berries to the vine in one hand while the other hand wraps the wire.

I brought the garlands into one of the last practices and shamelessly asked for help from other moms to cut and loop three folded ribbon lengths around each crown.

Finished crowns on the school bleachers.

The evening was a great community building event. Money was raised by May basket raffle tickets, and light refreshments sales. Koi fish were also sold to in honor of children's day and to raise money for Japanese Tsunami relief.

Celia and her dance partner leaving the May pole.

It's wonderful to be able to help with something that comes easily to me. It also makes me smile to know that  each of the dancers took home their flower crowns as a keepsake from the dance.