Another Himmeli-look project (Himmeli being Finnish strawcraft) today.
You may have seen this wreath on Hochanda TV, the brand new craft channel - on last Monday's (31 Aug 15) Silhouette shows. Actually, I think that the TV wreath had the colourway reversed -
red wreath, green bow - but this is the same design.
The pentagon balls are really fun to make - like a puzzle. In fact, they are constructed in exactly the same way as this previous project, Snowflake Pentagon Ball
- the only difference being that the faces of the pentagon ball are cut out. The cut-out pentagon balls are incredibly light - in a fun way - they remind me of Wiffle Balls (remember them?).
The instructions for pentagon ball assembly is printed on the pattern template, and you can also check out the Snowflake Pentagon Ball project.
Here are the files for the Pentagon Ball and Bow:
Himmeli-LookPentagonBall.pdf
Himmeli-LookPentagonBall.studio3
Himmeli-LookPentagonBall.svg
Bow.pdf
Bow.studio3
Bow.svg
... and here's how to assemble the wreath:
Himmeli-Look Pentagon Ball Wreath
Make six pentagon balls. Glue the balls into a ring - join the bottom pentagon faces of adjacent balls. Use tacky PVA glue applied with a cocktail stick. Stick on the paper bow provided (a sticky dot does the job), or a add a ribbon bow.
Alternatively - no need to glue! - simply tie the pentagons together with ribbon bows, à la the second pic from top in this post. (I made that wreath out of straw-coloured paper, to mimic the look of authentic Himmeli.)
You can also assemble the pentagon balls in different wreath configurations. Make a batch of pentagon balls and experiment!
More Himmeli-look ornaments today - the wreaths I previewed in my previous blogpost. Both are super-easy to make.
Here are your free files:
HimmeliWreath.pdf
HimmeliWreath.studio3
HimmeliWreath.svg
HimmeliStarWreath.pdf
HimmeliStarWreath.studio3
HimmeliStarWreath.svg
The wreath above has 8 pie-slice segments. I know, it looks a bit like a ferris wheel - or a hamster wheel. To make each segment, crease folds as shown above. The folding is easy - simply fold each section in half.
Glue one end to the opposite end, then fold and glue the base. Glue 8 adjacent sections side-to-side to assemble the wreath.
One creased unit of the star wreath is shown above. To assemble the unit, glue the short tab at the inner edge to the opposite side. Next, glue the edges of the adjacent triangles.
Now- there are two methods of assembling the wreath. You can glue the units together side-by-side - in which case you need six of them. Or, you can thread the units onto a piece of ribbon - bead style - and tie them together with a knotted bow - in which case, you only need five units! (Thread the ribbon through the cut-off side of the unit.)
Of course, you can reduce or enlarge the size of each unit to make smaller- or larger- wreaths.
If you want a papercraft bow to decorate the wreaths, I have given you one in my previous post.
I'm not done yet with my Himmeli binge! Coming up soon: Himmeli-Look Bells. A little bit steampunk, lots of fun to make:
There will be a tut for them, so watch this space.
Himmeli-look geometric decorations are a very popular craft trend. I read about them recently in this fun article by Rachel Basinger in the Guardian's Do Something supplement. I bought a pack of paper straws and got to work with a tapestry needle and my baker's twine. Well - I could appreciate the appeal, but I didn't have the patience. All that knotting. So, of course I got to thinking about how you could approximate the look in digital papercrafts. And I have been on a Himmeli-Look binge ever since.
Quick background info: Himmeli ornaments are traditional Finnish Christmas decorations. They were originally made using real straw, but now are made with paper straws or metal tubing. There are some pretty fantastic creations around. Mega-mobiles, lighting fixtures. Google it!
Anyway, back to my papercraft Himmeli: they are easy to fold and assemble because all the sides just need to be creased in half. They almost assemble themselves. I have designed lots of shapes, but I am starting you out easily with these pretty pendant-type ornaments.
You can make two styles of Prism from the template: jingle bell pendant or shape-within-a-shape.
Here are your free files:
Himmeli-LookPrism.pdf
Himmeli-LookPrism.studio3
Himmeli-LookPrism.svg
Bow.pdf
Bow.studio3
Bow.svg
Himmeli-Look Prism Ornaments
All-in-one Prism (jingle bell)
1 Cut out the shapes. Digital papercutting is best.
2 You can either score-and-crease the folds or simply crease the folds by folding each strut in half. If you score-and-crease, use a fine-point embossing tool held agains a metal ruler. Use a bone folder to crease the folds.
3 Cut a piece of craft thread and loop through a jingle bell. Decide where you want the bell to fall within the pendant and make a knot in the thread that distance from the bell. A double-knot, in fact.
4 Fold the prism with the jingle bell cord extending outside. Glue the tabs - the long one, and the shorter base tab. Tah-dah: your finished faux Himmeli pendant.
Two-in one Prism Ornament
This is so much easier than it looks. Simply fold the Himmeli-look diamond for the base, then glue on the open-base pyramid on top.
Thread a hanging loop through the top.
I've also given you a papercraft bow for a finishing touch.
There's more to come, coming attraction above. The Himmeli-look shapes are modular units, and it's like being a construction-toy mad kid in a toyshop! You can make garlands, mobiles, wreathes - all sorts of papermakes.
So - I hope that I have not offended Himmeli traditionalists, but I am having big fun!
I haven't had any makes on the blog for a while - so I thought I'd resume my batch of festive decs for 2014. I love all things Milk Carton, so today I have for you Milk Carton Bell ornaments. They are mostly fun and decorative - but if you attach a jingle bell as a clapper, you will make a gentle noise:
A button or a pony bead can also serve as a clapper - low-noise variety.
Here are your freebie files:
MilkCartonBellRed.pdf
MilkCartonBellGreen.pdf
MilkCartonBellBlue.pdf
MilkCartonBellRed.svg
MilkCartonBellGreen.svg
MilkCartonBellBlue.svg
The bells are a cinch to make. Cut out the pieces, punch the top holes (1/8in circle punch). Score, then crease all the folds. (All the folds are mountain folds, apart from the top flaps and the indentations at the sides, which are valley folds.) Join the sides, alternating tall and short sides. (Use either PVA glue or d/s tape.) Loop a piece of string, tie on the clapper. Thread the clapper though the top hole, then secure the bell top, pressing sides together. Make a hanging loop with the remainder of the bell string. I like to add beads to the string tails.
The bells can be used as tree ornaments, or as hanging features on paper chains.
