The story behind this bit of Christmas craftiness is that we're switching from curtains to blinds in our kitchen, and currently have empty windows with the curtain rails and hooks still in place.... I've always loved making paper snowflakes to stick on the inside of our windows at Christmas but our current flat has such old single-glazed windows that we get terrible condensation, making paper snowflakes a no-go. A snowflake curtain seemed the obvious solution :)
The basic idea behind this is super-simple, but it does take some time! I'd heartily recommend it as a way to while away a winter evening or two, and if you've got kids you could get the whole family involved making snowflakes and put the final display together yourself.
All my paper snowflakes were made from folding circles of white paper (cut using an assortment of plates, saucers and cups as templates) and snipping away - you can find lots of tutorials on the internet if you've not made them before. They were sewn together in strands like these oak leaf garlands - just use an ordinary sewing needle and thread and sew several stitches per snowflake. Try and vary the sizes of snowflakes you use to get a "random" look - and I'd recommend hanging up each strand before starting the next one so you can see how they look and build up your display gradually:
I tied them onto the curtain rail hooks so I can move them carefully along the rail for different effects - they look very cool all bunched together - but you could secure them to a rail or piece of string, or use pins or blutack to keep them in place in your window. A few strands hung together would also make a fantastic mobile!
UPDATE: for a similar effect but much less effort, you could make a curtain or mobile using different sizes of white paper doilies for your snowflakes. Follow the instructions for my butterfly + doily curtain but just use lots more doilies instead of butterflies :)
Please feel free to borrow photos if you want to blog about this project, but remember to credit me and link back to the original source, and do not reproduce my tutorial on your site. Thanks!
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80 comments:
I remember making paper snowflakes when I was a kid with my mom. I love your curtain idea and might try it for myself. You have incredible talent and have inspired me to do more crafts. Thanks for a great blog. I've been following you for a little over a month now and am just getting around to commenting on yours.
This looks absolutely stunning!
they look amazing.....really christmassy :) x
amazing!!
very pretty! I love it!!
I wonder if you could make them from something more condensation friendly even to hang? It would be more difficult to cut, but you could use them year after year. I love the idea. Good on ya!
your snow curtain is beautiful!
Wow! Looks amazing!
It's really cool!!love it!
So lovely
These are so fabulous. I see you went for the eight points and not the six. When I was a primary school teacher and this was a by product of Science project about weather I used to tear my hair out trying to get kids to fold the papers into 6
Our windows suffer from the same sort of condensation so I may have a go at a curtain.
Wow, it looks lovely!
I love your snowflake curtain!!!! I made similar flakes and hung them by string in front of our service window at work - fascinated the other secretary (can't believe she never did this before). This makes me want to take my blinds down and make snowflake curtains!!! I definitely am going to copy your idea for my kitchen door-my grandson will love this.
WOW!
I'm thinking of taking this project to the next level since I am needing new window treatments for my entire house and am over-budget and out of money!!
Thank you so much for posting this incredible piece of art!
These are absolutely beautiful - what a stunning idea. Surely your cutting hand must have really ached by the time you finished? :)
Amazing - you clever birdy! xxxx
Laura - I just wanted to check if it's OK if I do a post about your Christmas wrapping tutorials? They're the best and I think a lot of other birdies would be very interesting. I will, of course, credit you and link back to the original posts. xx
Thanks Top Bird - you'd be most welcome to post about them :)
Fantastic, thank you!
Just wondering - are the snowflake hand-stitched together? How do you keep it so straight?
No problem! They are all hand-stitched, yes. If you sew down the middle of the snowflakes, piercing the paper several times per snowflake - the bigger the snowflake the more stitches I used - gravity just does the rest and holds them really straight. You shouldn't even need to use knots between each flake, just leave a small gap of thread before you sew the next one on and the friction between the paper and the thread holds it in place.
beautiful! My hands hurt just thinking about cutting them all out, though!
stunning & amazing! i always try to make paper snowflakes, and although i'm in my 30's, they turnout literally looking like a 5 yr old made them. :o/ yours are GORGEOUS! you've truly inspired me to keep trying! thank you & happy holidays! cheers**
just lovely - so festive!
Absolutely gorgeous - I would be tempted to leave them up until spring if I were you! I have actually just posted about your snowflake curtains on my parenting blog - with a link back to this post as well as your lovely blog. Thank you for all of the creativity and inspiration you provide every day!
Thanks for the blog mention, Laura! :)
I made my own snowflake garlands at the weekend and blogged about it :D
http://sneddoniadesigns.blogspot.com/2008/12/paper-snowflakes.html
This is the most beautiful snowflake display that I have ever seen! It is absolutely stunning! Your snowflakes are so flat too... did you iron them?!
Holiday Hugs, Laurraine
Thanks Laurraine! I didn't iron my snowflakes but they did get squished a flat under a pile of filing for a couple of weeks which I guess had the same effect :)
I love your snowflake curtain so much, I blogged about it. It's really fantastic. I'm gonna try to make one myself.
I've added you to my blog roll, too. If you like my blog, maybe you'll add mine to yours?
Keep on making!
-kim
Not sure how I even came across this(the internet does that to you, you know?)...but i love the snowflake curtain. Genius!
...i HOPE these are still UP & HANGING!!??!!
Nancy, I've put a new spring-themed curtain of butterflies and doilies up in the window now but the snowflakes have been saved for another year :)
these are awesome!!! where could i find the designs for the snowflakes?
doukater - I'm sure you can find tutorials for how to make paper snowflakes on the internet. I just used circles of paper, folded them and snipped with my scissors :)
bellissimo lupin! complimenti e auguri!
niki
I did this a couple years ago but they didn't turn out as gorgeous as yours!! I couldn't get the folds out of the paper after I cut them. How did yours look so nice and flat?!!
Mine were stored flat for a while before I used them (under lots of filing!) but you could perhaps try ironing them?
This is brilliant!!
STUNNING!!
this looks fantastic, well done!
This is magical. And perfect inspiration for me and my girls, as I come from Canada but presently live in Las Vegas...
Thank you and the happiest of holidays!
reminds me of my childhood! love it!
www.4theloveofpretty.blogspot.com
Came here from ApartmentTherapy. The snowflake curtains are so lovely and so clever - I shall follow your blog regularly!
It is amazing!! It looks easy enough to make, but I'm sure it took some time and effort.
Thanks for this lovely idea!
Beautiful! Ha, for whatever reason we always started our snowflakes from square pieces of paper, I'll have to try this round innovation :) funny how things you do as a child stick with you as "the" way. Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE these! They look so beautiful hanging there! And all your snowflakes look so perfect! Great job!
Perfect!
I was wanting to hang something in my windows... and I didn't love how the ornaments and icicles came out last year.
thanks for sharing the brilliant idea!
:-)
~Em
I LOVE this project. I have absolutely no time to spare between now and Christmas, but I'm still going to try to do it, I love it so much. Thanks!
Jen Selk Chic
Really big love, for this one!
That is an awesome idea!! One year in college my roommate and I painted coffee filters with a purple sparkly paint that we watered down and hung them from our dorm ceiling because it had the drop ceiling that we could stick fishing wire into without having to tape them to the ceiling. I'm excited to see someone who used it in their home... guess I know what my project for next year is! It'd be beautiful with whatever colors your other decorations are painted onto the paper!
I totally might do this this week :)
just delightful - I think this will be our 2010 craft for xmas - thanks for sharing le
that is so awesome.
-Ewan, age 8
simply beautiful. and purely simple. thanks for sharing your picture, and the directions too.
Beautiful !I love them.
utterly gorgeous! This is just so beautiful.
Wow these are beautiful. We have an unexpected day off tomorrow, due to snow,what could be better then to make some of these.Thanks for the inspiration.
What awesome curtains!!!
Our version is not close to being as impressive as yours ... But I loved your post for inspiration!!!
Thanks so much!
I linked to your post on my blog
http://muffinsnmore.blogspot.com/2010/12/snow-snow-snow-snowflakes.html
You are of course very welcome to check it out!
Have a great Advent!
Wow! I love anything with snowflakes, this looks absolutely stunning! I love it!
so festive,so christmas ,so lovely
I particularly like how your snowflakes are a bit more round-like, do you have any advice as to how I can achieve the same effect?
Merry Christmas.
Priyanka
I Love snowflakes too.
I LOVE those pictures!
I put a link to your site today on my very small blog.
I hope that is ok.
Happy Holidays!
Hello Laura!!
I am in love with your snowflakes...So,so beautiful!!!
Im your newest follower (purehunnybee).
I look forward to getting to know you!
I found your curtains (snowflake) on google while googling photos of snowflakes and I am amazed by the pure beauty and simplicity of these!
Thanks so much for posting ..I've made a post on this photo on my blog today.
Come and visit :)
http://purehunnybee.blogspot.com
With all my heart...Deborah
hmmm im wondering if somehow you could use different size doilies to save all that cutting ?
I made a doily curtain too - I used butterflies but if you wanted a winter themed one you could add stars instead of just leave the doilies undecorated?
http://bugsandfishes.blogspot.com/2009/02/butterflies-for-spring.html
Jättecoola!
Hi Laura, just to let you know that I linked to your great snowflake project on my (very new) blog: http://regularhome.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/pretty-festive-project-2-paper-cut-snowflakes/
I've also been seeing photos from this project popping up all over Pinterest, which is great!
Claire xo
Hej igen!Jag tog din idé med med dessa snöflingor som gardin och utvecklade den genom att göra snöflingorna i tyg. Jag gjorde vita snöflingor i två olika storlekar och sydde fast dem på ett par gröna parad gardiner. I mitt inlägg länkade jag till din sida. Där jag talade om att det var därifrån min ursprungliga idé härstammar ifrån.
http://haggalen.blogspot.com/2011/12/varfor-inte-tygsnoflingor-istallet-for.html
Kram Susanne
Thanks for this great project! I just found you via pinterest, and I love your blog! I have one quick question about this project -- how did you get the snowflakes to look so "flat" again after folding them for cutting?! These look amazing, but all of mine still show all of the folds and don't really hang flat...? Any tips?! :) Thanks and I look forward to following your blog!
Hej!
Vad glad jag blir över att du gillar min blogg och vill följa den. Svar på din fråga hur jag lyckades undan komma veck på mina snöflingor av tyg berodde nog på att jag använde mig av materialet "tyll" som också är genomskinligt och tunt tyg. På kvällen när det är mörkt i det rummet där jag har gardinen försvinner snöflingorna. Den kvällen när jag upptäckte det var jag tvungen att gå fram och känna att snöflingorna satt kvar :)Ett tips för att du skall få dina snöflingor veck fria kunde vara att stänka vatten på snöflingorna och stryka på dem med strykjärnet. Testa om du inte redan har gjort det.
Kram Susanne
Hi Erin,
My snowflakes were actually stored flat under a pile of filing / heavy books for a while before I used them for this project. You could try storing yours pressed flat for a while, or maybe carefully ironing the paper with a bit of fabric like a teatowel on top perhaps? Folding each fold back on itself (I hope that makes sense!) also helps them hang flatter :)
I love this project so much that I made my own version and blogged about it here.
http://dianeagain.blogspot.com/2012/01/festive-garlands-part-five.html
Let me know if you are satisfied with the links and references to your blog...you deserve all the credit for this amazing project!!
My grandson has a disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Also known as brittle bone disease. People with this disease are referee to as snowflakes because of their fragile bones. I love your snowflake curtain. I think it would be a wonderful back drop for our fundraiser table.
Thanks for the great idea.
Tracy Bryan
Thanks for your comment, Tracie! I hope your fundraiser goes well x
I came back again to look at your snowflakes. They are still stunning! I am inspired. Thank you.
Thanks Laurel! :)
Hi :)
I love your snowflake curtain! I have been thinking about making something like this myself, but I cant figure out how to make the paper stay flat like that. I iron them to get them flat, but when I hang the snowflake it still wants to fold or flop...
I would greatly appreciate any tip you can give!
Kind regards Anne :)
Hi Anne - my snowflakes were stored under some heavy books for quite a while, so maybe you could try that?
I love your snowflake curtain idea! Thanks for sharing!
I've included it in my latest blog post:
http://www.thepaperycraftery.com/other-fun-things/twelve-ways-to-decorate-with-paper-snowflakes-all-winter-long/
Thanks for the feature, Meredith! It's lovely to see this project still getting some love after so many years have passed :)
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