Pleated Paper Party Lanterns Tutorial

This festive party bunting is a fun papercraft challenge to make. Once you've cracked folding the concertina box - which is the body of the lantern - you've just got to add the lantern top and base (the "hats") and join the lanterns with paper chain links.

Here are your templates:
SquareConcertinaLantern.pdf 
SquareConcertinaLanternCurio.studio3 

HexagonalConcertinaLantern.pdf 
HexagonalConcertinaLanternCurio.studio3 


I have provided you with templates for a square lantern and a hexagonal lantern - but you can make the bunting with just the square shape if you wish.

My pleating binge has been inspired by Paul Jackson's super new book,
Complete Pleats:

Concertina Lantern Party Bunting Tutorial

1 The pic above shows all the pieces of one lantern. The lantern body is cut out from copy paper-weight coloured paper (I used a Paperchase Spectrascope A5 pad). The "hats" are cut from thin black card.

If you are lucky enough to have a Silhouette Curio machine, then it will emboss the fold lines for you! Simply cut by colour. (Blue = fold, Red = cut.) (When embossing with the Curio, you must put the shape to be cut on the cutting area for the cut lines to be visible.) 

(If not, use the .pdf version and print the fold lines on to the wrong side of the paper, then set to and mark them with a finepoint embossing tool held against a small metal ruler.)

2 Pic above shows how to fold a concertina box - the lantern body. It is important to "prime" the fold lines - that is, pre-fold them, so they fall into place when you fold them for real. So - fold all the horizontal fold lines both front and back (this is a "universal" fold according to Paul Jackson). Also pre-crease the zigzag Vs. 

The secret to the folding is that the direction of the accordion pleats reverses at the Vs. If you press each V to fold it - kind of like popping bubble wrap (!) - the folds will fall into position and almost fold themselves!

Do a dry run of the folding on scrap paper. Practice makes perfect!

3 Pic above shows how to assemble the concertina box. It is seamed at the centre of one side to make a tube. You must unfold the creases to join the seam ( I know!). Use a piece of double-sided tape on the short side of the rectangle. Overlap the seam to make a tube. Once you've made the tube, gently coax the folds back into position. Tah dah! A square concertina box.

4 Time now to make the "hats" to cap the concertina box. Pic above shows how it is done. The band fits into the brim. For the top, add the looped handle. For the bottom, reinforce the brim bits with the holes, then tie on a tassel. The tassel is made out of craft thread in a colour to match the concertina box. Wind the tassel around a 6cm (2-1/4in) piece of card. (For how to make a tassel, I've got a tutorial - click on the link.)

5 Okay - it's the homestretch. Time to stick the "hats" on to the top and bottom of the concertina box. Just stick double-sided tape onto the concertina box top and bottom edges (whee- the box collapses right down flat!). Next, just stick on the "hats" with edges aligned.

6 To complete the bunting, simple join the lanterns with paper chain links.

If you want a further challenge, I have provided a pattern for a hexagonal lantern. It is made in the same way as the square concertina lantern - just slightly more fancy-folding. (When you glue on the "hats" to the hexagonal lantern, make sure that the sides are aligned top and bottom.)

Enjoy the fancy folding! When you've mastered the concertina box, you will be proud of your new pleating skills. 


 
 

Pleated Rosette Ornament Tutorial

I have been on a paper pleating binge for two reasons - I have been inspired by Paul Jackson's new book , Complete Pleats (link to my review)- and I have a lovely Silhouette Curio machine to score the folds for me - a top notch productivity assist! Paper pleating is a skill I have long wished to acquire. Now that I've cracked it, I want to share so that you can get the pleating bug, too. So today, I have a fun seasonal project plus tutorial - pleated rosettes. They make great tree ornaments, or can be used as gift packaging embellishments.

I have designed rosettes in two sizes, standard and small. (Always nice to have contrast.)

Here are your rosette files:
PleatedRosettesCurio.studio3 
PleatedRosettesSmallCurio.studio3

PleatedRosettesA.pdf
PleatedRosettesB.pdf
PleatedRosettesSmall.pdf

The pics above are of the .pdf versions. I include a low-tech - handmade - alternative because not every papercrafter has a digital papercutter - yet :)

Pleated Rosette Tutorial

1 Print out two copies of each design. The strips are pieced to makeup the full rosette length. 
Making by hand: score the folds with a fine-point embossing tool held against a small metal ruler. Punch the holes with a 1/16 circle handpunch. Cut out the rosette rectangles with a craft knife held against a blade (use a cutting mat).
Curio version: turn on the registration marks and print two copies of the rosette design. After printing, move the folding guide on top of the rosette design, with edges aligned. Proceed to cut by colour. The ratchet blade goes in the the lefthand holder, the fine-point embossing tool on the right. Emboss first (blue lines), then cut (orange lines). I have given you a selection of rosette designs, simply choose the design you want and place it in the cutting area as required.

2 Pic above shows you how to join the rosette strips. Once the strips are joined "prime" the folds so they will fall into place when you fold them for real. Fold the pleats both ways - mountain and valley (a universal fold, according to Paul Jackson) and  also squeeze the zigzag Vs - crease and pinch.

3 Time to start folding for real! I won't lie to you - this is a bit tricky - so do a practice run. The tricky bit is that the folds reverse direction at each crease. Insies turn into outsies at each V! What you have to do is "pop" each V - kind of like popping bubble wrap. When the action clicks, you will find that the accordion pleats fall into place when you fold the concave Vs. Whee!

When one side of the rosette is folded, it forms a crocodile (pic above).

4 Now fold the other side of the rosette strip. A horseshoe shape is formed (pic above). Your rosette folds are made. You now have to join the strip into a ring.

5 To join the rosette into a ring, overlap the last accordion sections. Double-sided tape does the trick. The action of joining opens out the pleat a bit - coax the rosette into shape, folding the accordion pleats inwards.

6 Now all you have to do is lace through the holes (use craft thread and a tapestry needle) and knot the ends. Repeat for the other side. I like to add small beads onto the ribbon tails.

7 For a hanging ornament, thread 45cm(18in) of narrow ribbon through the centre hole. Knot as shown, just above the rosette and another 10cm (4in) along. Trim the tails.

Aren't pleats neat? Happy pleating! If you want to find out more, here's the pleating motherlode:

 


 



 

Silhouette Curio Button Box Matchbox

Printables.

Simplified sketch pen version.

Papercraft sewing accessories are some of my favourite things to make - they are useful and giftable. I am looking forward to attending The Knitting & Stitching Show next week (Oct 7-11, Ally Pally, London) - so my crafty thoughts have turned to stitchery. Can't wait to see the creative exhibitions - and add to my ribbon stash.

These Button Box Matchboxes are sized to fit on a Silhouette Curio machine. The Curio has a petite cutting area because it concentrates on its other powerful creative capabilities - such as embossing, stippling, and cutting heavier materials. (You can also make it on a Silhouette Cameo or Portrait - if that is the machine you have. Or even cut it out by hand if you have not gone digital yet.)

I have made a print-and-cut version of the design and also a simplified version, suitable for the Sketch Pen feature on all Silhouette machines.

Here are your files:
ButtonBoxMatchbox.pdf 
ButtonBoxWrap.studio3 
ButtonWrapSketch.studio3 

ButtonBoxMatchboxDrawer.studio3 

Your matchbox consists of a drawer and the wrap. Cut the matchbox drawer out of plain coloured paper. The drawer pulls are brads. 

You can tweak the colours and make several for a colour-coded button stash!

 

Stippling with the Silhouette Curio

I am going dotty – playing with the Stipple function on my new favourite toy – the Silhouette Curio machine. The Curio is the new digital cutting machine from Silhouette – it features a powerful bag of creative tricks, the Stipple effect being one of them.

My first “real” job was as a colourist in a textile studio. Many of the designs I worked on had stippled features – a budget airbrush-style pointillist effect. It was achieved by flicking a paint-loaded toothbrush. The paint was applied through a stencil. Fun, but labour-intensive. Now you can get a stippled effect – with much more sophisticated results ­– by clicking a selection on the Curio.

To actually produce the Stipple effects shown, I have used Sharpie markers held by a Silhouette Pen Holder. (You can also use Silhouette Sketch Pens, which need no holder.) A handy feature of the Curio is that it has two blade carriages – so you can double-up and do two operations at a time – two colours at a go or one colour, then cut.

The Curio Stipple has lots of fun options. You can stipple outlines, stipple-trace designs (great for photos), apply dots in undulating patterns of grids or shapes. You can also combine the Stipple effect with othe Curio functions, such as the Sketch Pens. So for some designs I have done the text in Sketch Pen outline and the design in Stipple.  I am still playing – but I am posting some of my first Curio Stipple experiments to share the wonder.

The stippling process isn’t quick if there are lots and lots of dots in your design (and you will probably want to go for it) – so make yourself a cup of tea and/or browse the web while the Curio is busily clicking away.

If you are lucky enough to have a Silhouette Curio machine and want to have a go with stippling, I would recommend two different ways to get started. Either start with a simple linear vector design and tweak it or scan in a photo and do the same. Select a photo with lots of contrast.

Another tip: if you want a multi-colured design, then you must stipple-prepare each section of the design that you want in a specific colour individually. When you output the design, you can then stipple colour by colour.