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The Summer Decor Series: Pretty Pinwheels

3 June 2014  |  Nicola

Handmade pinwheels

The Summer Decor Series: Pretty Pinwheels

We’ve arrived at the fourth and final tutorial in our Summer Decor series, and continuing with the paper theme, this time we’re making decorative pinwheels in all colours and sizes. Traditionally known for their use at the seaside – often perched on top of a sandcastle – they’ve undergone something of a transformation recently, and are now used as anything from table decorations to wedding favours – and the best thing is that they’re one of the simplest things to make.

Pinwheel tutorial materials

You Will Need:

Thick square paper or card – it can be any size, as long as it’s completely square

Buttons, beads or other small embellishments for the centre

A stick to attach your pinwheel to – anything that stands upright and supports the pinwheel is fine

Glue

1. Draw diagonal lines from corner to corner on your sheet of cardboard, then cut along each line almost to the centre.

Double side paper for pinwheel tuorial

2. Take one corner, then fold it into the centre and glue in place.

3. Repeat for the other three corners – and that’s it! You’ve got your basic pinwheel shape.

Pink and green paper pinwheel

4. Add a button, bead or decorative little something to the centre to hide the join.

5. Glue or tape your pinwheel to its stick, and display proudly.

Handy Hints

The tutorial above is for pinwheels which are purely decorative, and obviously won’t turn – if you want your pinwheels to actually work, you need to make a hole in the centre of your paper before you start folding, and attach it to the stick with a small piece of dowel.

It’s worth noting that you see both sides of the paper – so if you’re using double-sided cardstock, make sure you like both prints!

Pinwheels with washi tape tips

If you’re using plain card, jazz things up a bit with some washi tape – we added some to the points of our pinwheels to make them a little more interesting.

Although traditionally mounted onto a stick, pinwheels can be used to decorate pretty much anything, from place settings and invitations to menus, banners and bunting. The sky’s the limit!

Pinwheel on table setting

 

Paper used in this tutorial are:

StickyTiger craft supplies
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