Pretty Pinwheels

Seaside Tinkered Treasures

Posted by Ryland Peters & Small

About

Add fanfare to any fête with pleasing pinwheels that gather their unique spin from patterned papers, corsage pins, and striped straws. You can make these in almost any size as long as you begin with a perfect square. Display in tall jars filled with sand or plant into desserts to lend lively panache to any party.

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You Will Need (8 things)

  • Paper in coordinating patterns, such as stripes, polka dots, and florals
  • Paper Straws
  • Corsage Pins (pearl-headed dressmaker’s pins)
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Glue Stick
  • Small Hole Punch
  • Thumb tack ( Drawing Pin )

Steps (5 steps, 45 minutes)

  1. 1

    Each pinwheel will require a perfect
    double-sided square. To do this, you
    need to either glue two sheets of paper
    together with their patterned sides
    exposed and then cut, or cut and then
    stick them together using a glue stick.
    Most of the pinwheels shown are made
    using 4-in (10-cm) squares.

  2. 2

    Once you have a double-sided
    square, fold in half and then again
    so that the square has two intersecting
    folds, creating four smaller squares.
    Using scissors, cut a slit from each
    pointed corner to about 1/2 in (1 cm)
    from the center. You will end up
    with four diagonal slits in the paper,
    or four “triangles.”

  3. 3

    Using a small hole punch, make a
    hole in the left corner of each
    “triangle” and set aside.

  4. 4

    Use a thumb tack (drawing pin)
    to poke a hole into one side
    of the paper straw, about 1/2 in (1 cm)
    from the top.

  5. 5

    One by one, fold up the holed
    points of your square and you will
    see the pinwheel form. Push the corsage
    (dressmaker’s) pin through all four
    punched holes. Bend the pin at a right
    angle about 1/2 in (1 cm) from the top
    and gently push the pin through the
    hole in the straw. This ensures that the
    length of the pin is concealed safely
    within the tube of the straw, while still
    allowing the folded fan to spin.

    TINKER TIP The process of folding the paper
    into and onto the pin can be awkward. Step 5
    shows a sideways view. You may want to
    practice first on a test paper. You may also
    want to pre-bend corsage (dressmaker’s) pins as
    needed. You could skip punching small holes
    into the paper points and simply join by
    pushing pins through.

    FANCY THIS Experiment with using a variety
    of papers and scales to infuse gatherings with
    personality and local flavor. Think: old maps
    and travel brochures, wallpaper scraps and
    paper gift or shopping parcels.