Straw Stars
We have always admired German traditional straw stars. They are beautiful, delicate and intricate. I love the fact that they are made from natural straw; a material that is so simple. It's nice to have decorations on your tree that are natural, yet festive. Christmas does not have to be gaudy and kitsch, it can be beautiful. After much research we found a wonderful little supplier who has created a clever system to make straw stars that is easy to use, especially for children. We now stock the 6, 8 and 12 pointed star kits with everything you need to get making. The kits come with a booklet full of ideas but you can be creative and make your own styles.
Take a look at the straw star kits in our online shop by clicking the link below:
http://consciouscraft.uk/collections/seasonal-crafts
My son and I created one of the many different types of stars found in the booklet:
You will need: our 8 pointed star kit, scissors and a ruler.
1 - Begin by splitting your straw into 4 using the splitter tool. All you need to do is push the straw through the splitter gently. Make sure the straw you use does not have any dents. If the ends are frayed, cut before splitting.
2 - Split 4 blue straws in the same way, using the splitter.
3 - Cut down your split straws, you will need 8 x 7.3cm natural straws and 4 x 11cm of the blue straws.
4 - Start to place your natural straws one at a time in the straw holder.
5 - Working clockwise, lay your 8 natural wide straw pieces in the crown mould. Always place the straw glossy side up. Follow the images below.
7 - Go all the way round until all the gaps in the crown mould are filled with two straw ends; see image below.
8 - Place your first blue straw right down the middle.
9 - Place the second blue straw across the top of your first blue straw, forming a cross shape.
10 - Place the next blue straw all the way around so that in every gap there are two natural coloured straw ends and one blue straw end in the middle.
11 - Press the clamp into your crown mould to hold your shape together. Just your straws.
12 - Cut a piece of thread approximately 50cm. Flip your crown mould upside down and tie a surgeon's knot round both the natural and blue straw. See image below.
13 - The fiddly bit; flip your crown mould back and start the wrapping phase. The thread is now hanging down and is always pulled from below the next start crossing section. Wrap your thread twice around the straw cross section, don't pull too tight or too loose.
14 - Weave your thread between the two side straws and under your blue straw. See image below.
15 - Repeat this process all the way around. Finish with a surgeon's knot behind the star crown at the place you started.
16 - Cut your thread but leave enough to be able to hang your star.
17 - Using scissors, cut the ends to make a sharp point.
18 - Your finished star!
