paper whirligig party decorations

Paper Rainbow Whirligig

1.Make tubes of colored paper: wrap a sheet of colored paper around a cardboard tube (paper towel tube).
2.Use glue stick to glue the end of the paper to itself.
3.Pull the cardboard tube out so it is just a tube of paper. If you leave the cardboard inside, it will be too heavy to hang, and you will have to collect a lot of cardboard tubes.
4.Repeat with a rainbow of colors. The short whirligig has one tube each of seven different colors. The longer whirligigs are made with 2 tubes of each color.
5. “Sew” the tubes with thread and needle, see detailed instructions with photos below.

NOTE ABOUT HANGING: Tape the thread to the ceiling to hang the whirligig. The thread can slip back through the tape, so the whole thing comes crashing to the floor. Here are 2 safeguards you can do to prevent this: a) tie a bead at the end of the thread, and b) tape the thread once, then fold the loose end of the thread back over the tape and tape twice more. NOTE: be sure to use tape that won’t peal off the paint, such as masking tape or special tape made for hanging decorations ( sold at party goods stores.)

Standing Paper Rainbow

1.wrap a sheet of colored paper around a paper towel tube or wrapping paper tube (lime green, if you wish to copy the photo.)
2.Use glue stick to glue the end of the paper to itself to form a paper tube.
3.Pull the paper towel tube out so it is just a tube of paper.
4.Repeat 2 more times to make 3 paper tubes of the same color for the middle of the rainbow (lime green).
5.Make 3 more tubes in a different color (yellow), but first cut the paper one inch (2 cm.) shorter.
6.Make 3 tubes in a different color (blue) the same height as the yellow.
7.Make 3 tubes each of 2 different colors (lavender and orange) but cut the paper 2 inches (4 cm) shorter than the lime green tubes.
8.Make 3 tubes each in 2 different colors (purple and red), but cut the paper 3 inches (6 cm. ) shorter than the green tubes.

1.To make them stand so they will not blow over when someone walks by, cut strips of poster board and glue them end to end.
2. Glue a row of bottle caps to the poster board.
3. Fit the paper tubes over the bottle caps. If they are a snug fit, this is all you have to do. If they are not secure as is, glue or tape the paper tubes to the bottle caps.

NOTE: if you don’t have bottle caps, simply tape the ends of the tubes to the strips of poster board. It is hard to transport them this way, so you may want to make the tubes ahead of time, but not tape them to the base until you get to the place where they will be displayed.

5. Use needle and thread to “sew” the tubes through the middle of each tube--if the needle is not long enough to go through both sides, you may need to squeeze the tube a little bit so the needle can come out the far side. Don’t squeeze so hard that the paper crumples. Thread a plastic or wooden bead onto the thread after each tube, to hold the tubes apart when they hang. Be sure to leave extra thread at the top for hanging, or the top tube will be against the ceiling.

6. “Sew” each end of the tubes in the same way as the middle, except without any beads in between the tubes. Leave extra thread at the top of each end (more than the middle thread for hanging) so that you will be able to torque or twist the tubes into a spiral. If you only sew the middle with thread, and don’t sew the ends of the tubes with thread, the tubes will splay every which way rather than forming a spiral. If the thread on each end is too short, you will not be able to twist the tubes into a spiral.

thread for hanging

thread for twisting

NOTE: Even if you knot the thread, knots pull through paper very easily, so it is a good idea to tie both ends of the thread with a small bead or button. These can be hidden inside the ends of the tubes, along with any excess thread. If you don’t do this, the end of the thread might pull out while you are twisting the spirals, and you will end up having to “re-sew” the ends again.

NOTE ABOUT TWISTING: Twisting the tubes into a spiral can be a little tricky since it keeps spinning away from you as you try to twist it. If you can get 2 people to help, it will make it easier--one person to hold the middle string, one person to twist the top tubes in one directions, and a third person to twist the bottom tubes in the opposite direction. If you have to do it alone, tape the hanging thread to a table, or a place that allows the tubes to swing freely, but is still easy to reach. Twist the top tubes one direction, and the bottom tubes the opposite direction.

Crafts > Crafts for Adults by Materials > Paper Party Decorations > Paper Whirligig Party Decorations