Simple Craft Project: Make a Delightful Pipe Cleaner Heart Garland!
This is a wonderful low-tech, minimal-supply craft project that has a beautiful end result! By simply forming old fashioned pipe cleaners over a template, you can make a lovely chain of linked hearts to hang in a window or over a door or mirror. It would make super simple craft project for Valentine's Day, or just a charming everyday decoration. I love these old fashioned pipe cleaners because they have a soft, velvety texture, and they lend some instant vintage appeal. You can make the heart garland as long as you want. One bundle of these pipe cleaners would make a garland nearly 6 feet long. If you're using standard 12" pipe cleaners instead of these shorter ones, just snip them to 6.25 inches before you begin so they fit the template. The template is available for downloading here:
You'll want to make sure you are printing at 100%, not fit-to-page, to get the right scale. (the template is on an 8 1/2 x 11 size sheet to make printing easier.)
Supplies:
- Printed template
- One bundle of Old Fashioned Pipe Cleaners (6.5 inches long)
- Scissors that can be used on pipe cleaners
- Needle nosed pliers
- Tape
- Ribbon for Hanging
Step 1: Print the template. Affix it to your workspace with some tape.
Step 2: Use pliers to bend the pipe cleaners to fit the template. Make a whole bunch.
Step 3: Snip off a small bit of pipe cleaner, about 1/2 - 3/4 inch long. Stack two of the bent shapes on top of each other, and use this small segment to link the two together at the inner spiral. When you unfold the two shapes they should be attached at the center.
Step 4: Use another small piece of pipe cleaner to link the shapes at the bottom spiral. Now the two halves of the heart are connected at the center.
Step 5: Once two full hearts have been completed, use a 1 inch piece of pipe cleaner to make a loose link at the outer edge to connect them.
Step 6: Repeat, creating a long chain of connected hearts. Once complete, tie ribbons on the ends of the garland to hang it up.
Products featured in this tutorial:
Old Fashioned Pipe Cleaners (50pcs)
