How to Make Windmill Crafts
Beautiful windmills are the perfect craft for a fairy party. Make large, sturdy but light-as-air pinwheels from vellum paper or thin plastic and crystal beads. Accent the handles with ribbon and let the girls run through yard with their windmills spinning and ribbons flying. A simpler version of the craft can be made in minutes with a pencil, paper and a pushpin.
Things You'll Need
- 1/4 inch diameter dowel, 16 inches long
- Drill
- 1/16 inch drill bit
- Clamp
- Thin floral wire
- Vellum paper
- Scissors
- Darning needle
- Wire cutters
- 3/16 inch glass bead
- 5 glass beads, 1/4 inch
- 2 yards narrow ribbon
Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Clamp the dowel firmly to your work surface. Drill a 1/16-inch hole all the way through the dowel 1/4 inch from the end.
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2
Cut an 8-inch square of vellum paper or very thin stiff plastic. The plastic must be stiff enough to curl instead of crumple when bent.
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3
Cut a slit from each corner of the square diagonally into the center. Stop 1 inch from the center of the square. You are forming four "petals."
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4
Poke a hole in the center of the square with the darning needle.
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5
Poke a hole in the left point of each "petal." It will be on the right side of each slit you cut earlier. Place it 1/4 inch from the slit and 1/4 inch from the edge.
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6
Cut a 6-inch piece of wire.
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7
Cut ribbon into 1-yard long pieces.
Windmill assembly
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8
Thread the wire through the hole in the dowel and wrap the end of the wire around the dowel twice.
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9
Thread a small bead onto the wire.
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10
Poke the wire through the center of the piece of paper or plastic.
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11
Thread two more small beads onto the wire.
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12
Fold down the left point of the top "petal" and thread the hole you made earlier on to the wire.
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13
Repeat the previous step for the next petal to the right moving clockwise around the windmill until all holes are threaded on to the wire.
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14
Thread a small bead, then a large bead then a small bead onto the wire. Do not press the paper petals down tightly. All the pieces should be able to move freely.
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15
Wrap the end of the wire around the last bead and twist it twice around the wire below the bead. Cut off any extra wire. (See warnings below.)
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16
Knot two pieces of ribbon around the handle. Tie the knot in the middle of the ribbon forming four streamers.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Do the preparation before the children arrive then let each child assemble his own pinwheel.
You can create an easier version of this craft by attaching a smaller paper pinwheel to a pencil eraser with a push pin, but it will not work as well or last as long.
Due to small pieces this craft is not suitable for very young children.
An adult should drill the holes in the dowels and cut the wires.
References
- Photo Credit Colourful tops image by Pontus Edenberg from Fotolia.com
