How to Make Palm Crosses

The palms you receive on Palm Sunday are blessed and should be kept with care. They are a special reminder of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. One way to keep your palm is to make crosses out of it. This process is simple, but does take some time to complete.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Palm leaves

1. Position the palm horizontally in relation to your hand.

2. Bend the palm in the middle and fold it so it makes a right angle. It is important that you make the bend in the middle, rather than closer to one end.

3. Take the same piece and fold it back upwards. It should ultimately be facing upwards or toward the ceiling. What you will have is a square in the middle of your palm.

4. Take the other end of the palm and thread it through the square you previously created. You should pull the piece through tight enough to make it hold but not so tight that you tear the palm. You will need to maintain the right angle.

5. Make the top part of the cross by taking the piece pointing upward, folding it downward and lacing it through the square you have created. The piece sticking out should look like a loop.

6. Take the piece that now points downward and thread it back up through the square. This will be the bottom part of the cross. Make sure this end is longer than the top part.

7. Turn the cross on its side and bring the unthreaded end through the center square. Do the same for the other side to make the horizontal ends of the cross.

8. Cut the extra ends that are not threaded.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep extra palms on hand if this is your first attempt, or if you want to make palm crosses with children.
• Do not wait too long to make the cross. Your palm will dry out quickly, and will be more difficult to manipulate if it is too dry.