Daylight Lantern
Around Christmas time I came across a great way of recycling christmas cards by making them into a 3D ball shape ornament . Being the crazy fabric lady that I am I knew I had to make a giant one using fabric.
I grabbed my stack of Little Azalea, the latest range from Dena Designs, and used a dinner plate as template to cut out 20 big circles. I glued the fabric circles to some light weight white cardboard. I just used basic paper glue, it was what I had on hand and luckily it worked just fine.
Once the glue dried I cut out the circles.
I cut out an equilateral triangle shape that fit the size of the circle. Placed it in the the circle, fabric side up, and use it to fold the edges inwards.
so the circle takes on the triangle fold...
like so
Once folded the circles are ready to glue together. I found it easier to make 3 sections. The top and bottom sections are made up of 5 circles each. The remaining 10 become the center section. I used paper clips to hold the pieces together while the glue dried. Clothes pegs would work too.
It looked as though it needed a tassel so I whipped one up by cutting 1/2 inch strips of fabric into 9 inch legnths. I left their raw edges, simply folded them over and wrapped another strip of fabric around the top.
I glued the Bottom Section to Middle section and let it dry. I found it helpful to use a bowl to support the pieces while I was gluing them together.
Next up I secured the tassel using a long bit of perle thread, threaded some fun felt balls as well, and brought then needle up through the bottom and then up through the center of the top piece. I then sealed the ball up with glue. I figure the perle thread running through the whole structure helps to keep the 3 parts together.
Seeing it had felt balls threaded onto the top and bottom I decided to continue the theme and glued felt balls to the joins too. Happy little bobbles of colour!
With a diameter of 16 inches it looks more like a lantern than an ornament so I'm calling it a Daylight Lantern. The folds of the circles catch the light as it slowly turns around in a breeze.
Do you like the it hanging from this twisted branch? I carried that branch home one day from a walk,
I knew it would come in handy one day...
39 Comments
These are delightful. What a lovely way to adapt the design with the use of fabric. And the branch is perfect.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful project - and very you! I could see them in Christmas colours too - would be great decorations. So glad you found a use for your rescued branch - it looks right at home now and perfect for the purpose!
ReplyDeleteHilda
Love your daylight lanterns, they look really cool hanging on the branch.
ReplyDeleteWill make a good scrap project.
you are so creative. I love how you see something you like and then work to make it your own :-)
ReplyDeleteThis would be a great way to display some of your favourite fabrics :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great creation Rachael! It shows the fabrics beautifully! And the branch is the perfect addition to your decorating scheme!
ReplyDeleteSo clever! Too much time on your hands girl.
ReplyDeleteso fun! I have a friend who has many Christmas balls. I just love them. I have one for my tree. Making it with fabric is really clever.
ReplyDeleteIt looks great on that branch. I love to carry home treasures from nature too :)
So pretty! I've seen this done with paper, but never thought of combining it with fabric before :o)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this, what beautiful fabric too. Is it a new line? I do like your branch and the pom poms too!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! I love the tassel and the colorful felt balls. They add just the right bit of flare to your Daylight Lantern. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely wonderful! Your creative spirit just never stops! I'll bet it's a great delight to walk into the room and see it slowly moving. Love it!!
ReplyDeleteI love them! You could make them tiny, you could make them big. There will be one in my home soon! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteTotally freaking cute !
ReplyDeleteHow good would these look done in Christmas fabric hanging from a tree...
PS. Sorry for mentioning Christmas so early in the year !
Fun Funky Fabricky stuff happening at the mountain house.
ReplyDeleteSo clever Rachael. The lanterns look beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou are so clever!
ReplyDeleteThis is like a perfect still life.
ReplyDeleteHow fantabulous! What a wonderful decoration and perfect on the branch. It sure does brighten a spot up. What size circle did you go with?
ReplyDeleteHi Janet, I used a big dinner plate for the circle template so they were approx 10 inches across.
DeleteThis is so fun! Great idea and thanks for the how-to :)
ReplyDeleteSo cute! You could do this with Christmas colors to make ornaments! Fun!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing. Thank you for showing us how you made it.
ReplyDeleteDo you just get more and more clever?
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fun idea, Rachael! Love how it hangs from the branch! Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThat's really cool! I like the fabric that you chose and how you added the tassel. Nice choice on the branch too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun project! The felt balls you embellished with added a bohemian feel to the lantern, perfect for a gypsy:)
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool! And the branch is perfect. You have a really good eye for these things :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and very creative. You are so clever!
ReplyDeleteHow cute! You could make one for all the seasons, holidays etc. And such a scrap buster! Bonus.
ReplyDeleteOh sweet lovely lantern, shine on all humble stitchers of fabric, shine your beauty and benevolence on our needles and light our way with your elegant grace.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely creation! Love the little fuzzy balls! Certain to spread cheer wherever it hangs!
ReplyDeleteThis is really great, Rachael! So nice and modern, just exactly right. I could see the finish photo in an issue of Dwell. I love that new line of fabrics from Dena Fishbein too.
ReplyDeleteOh, so elegant and yet rather a gypsy feeling to it too. What a clever girl you are! Love the idea of using fabric to do this, and BIG circles too! It looks perfect on your found branch. Looks like something in a magazine!
ReplyDeleteI made something similar to this when I was in high school. But it was smaller, used a lot more round/triangles and I used aluminum foil. It was fun and sparkly! I think it ended up being a dodecahedron or something like that! (math is not my forte') I like the fabric better now. :)
Holy moly! This is so clever and beautiful! I love love love the branch. I want one!
ReplyDeleteOh! I am gonna have to do this now! I have just moved my workspace into a bigger room here, and am decorating it my way. These would go really well! It's kind of like quilting pieces in a way, isn't it. xCathy
ReplyDeleteYou Clever Lady Rachael...how cool is this! Wow!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks fabulous - that was the perfect display branch too:)
ReplyDeleteThat is so cute Rachael, what a clever idea.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for leaving me a comment. Your kind words encourage me to keep sharing my work and stories.