Handmade decorations for Christmas have become a popular tradition for many Germans. The cozy craft evenings in winter bring the whole family together and are always a lot of fun. If you would like to make some of the tree decorations yourself this year, then you have come to the right place. With straws you can make beautiful straw stars and make a classic Christmas decoration yourself. In this article you will find a few instructions for simple straw stars, as well as many imaginative ideas for nostalgic Christmas tree decorations.
Whether as a natural Christmas tree decoration, an unusual window decoration or as a pendant for Christmas presents, the straw stars are a multi-faceted decoration idea for Christmas. The chic stars are easy to make yourself, inexpensive and look particularly natural on the Christmas tree. If desired, the stars can be further decorated and harmonized with the rest of the decoration. With a little patience and a little sensitivity, you can make beautiful straw stars yourself and create a real Christmas atmosphere.
As material for thePoinsettias made of strawYou will need straws, which you can find in any well-stocked craft store. For more complex designs, sets with special laying shapes are even offered, which make it much easier to correctly lay and connect the straws. In addition to straw, all you need is a string of any color to tie the individual stalks together.
Make simple straw stars – instructions
First, we would like to introduce a few easy straw star craft projects that are perfect for beginners. Children aged 5 and over can also make these straw stars, but you will need to help prepare the material. This project uses natural straw, which is usually a little harder and requires processing.
In addition to straw, this project also requires thread, a stencil knife, thumbtacks, a bowl of water, and an iron. If you are working with natural straw, it should be soaked first, otherwise it can easily break and splinter. The soaking is done in a bowl of cold water and takes about half an hour. Then dry the stalks with some kitchen paper.
It is easier to make straw stars with flat straw, so you can briefly iron the straws with an iron. Set the iron to a lower setting so that the straws do not burn. However, ironing can cause the straw to brown slightly. Alternatively, you can try straightening the straw with your fingers or buy straw that has already been straightened.
If you wish you can also have colored onesMake stars, by purchasing pre-colored straws, or painting them at home with watercolors. However, if you are working with colored stalks, you must not put them in the water, otherwise the color will be removed. To make a simple star, cut four to six equal-sized straws.
Now, take two straws and place them crosswise on the work table. Then put two more straws together to form a cross and place the two crosses on top of each other in an offset manner. Hold the center point with a thumbtack.
Now you have to tie the stalks with the thread. To do this, place the thread above and below the straw and wrap and knot it as close to the middle as possible. The exact procedure can vary, the main thing is that the straw star holds.
Once everything is in place, tie a loop from the ends of the thread to make a hanger for the tree decoration. If desired, you can bevel the ends of the stalks with the template knife. This is how you make a simple straw star with eight points.
Large stars without laying form
If you want bigger stars then you need longer straws. In this case, the star should also have several points, otherwise it will look too simple. The easiest way to make a large straw star with sixteen points is to tie two stars of different sizes together. If not all straws are the same length, an alternation between longer and shorter star rays is achieved. This creates a wonderful effect and you don't even need a laying form.
First you should make two straw stars of different sizes and tie them with thread. For a nice visual effect, you can bevel the short and long ends of the rays in a different shape with the stencil knife.
Once both stars are finished, place them on top of each other so that there is an alternation between short and long rays. Now tie the entire star with the thread by alternatingly threading it under and over the stalks. When the two ends of the thread meet, knot them together.
If you would like to add an accent to the center of the straw star, you can insert a colored thumbtack into it. To tie the stars out of straw, you can use thread of any color. White, red, green and gold go well with Christmas and you can combine them as well. The homemade straw stars can be further decorated with beads or glitter and therefore designed to suit your individual needs. Let your creativity run wild and create an unusual Christmas decoration.
Creative ideas as classic tree decorations
Making straw stars is not as difficult as first impressions might suggest. With a little practice and patience, you can even make complicated models yourself and integrate them into your Christmas decorations. These chic stars are a classic Christmas tree decoration and give the tree a natural look. However, the straw stars are not only suitable for the Christmas tree, but also go well with window decorations in winter. If you wish, you can paint the straw in any color and add beautiful color accents to the room.
A variety of sets are available for making pretty straw stars yourself, which include a laying form and straw splitters. This makes it much quicker and easier to make even more complicated straw stars and hang them on the Christmas tree. In this case, the straws are neither soaked nor ironed, but simply pushed through the straw splitter. In the laying form, both beginners and children can conjure up creative straw stars themselves. You can also use the straw stars as Christmas decorations for many years because the material is particularly durable.
With a laying mold you can make even straw stars, which are perfect as a small gift for Christmas. The laying forms have a different number of cones and can therefore produce small or larger stars. To make a star, place the individual straws in the mold and secure them with a rubber ring. If you use a laying mold, you should make sure that the stalks are placed in the middle and extend evenly over the mold. If this is not the case, the stars must then be cut to size. When the shape of the star is finished, it is tied with the twine and can immediately be attached to the tree or wrapped as a gift.
Large straw stars can also be made from whole bundles and then woven using an appropriate technique. In this case, the stalks are not smoothed, but left natural and tied with a string. Since these straw stars are usually larger, they are often used as door decorations in winter. You can also make small straw stars out of whole straws, but the natural material is much more difficult to work with.
Make straw stars for the door wreath
If you would like to turn the traditional tree decorations into a modern Christmas decoration yourself, you can make an elegant door wreath with the straw stars. You can make both the same and different models of straw stars. You can also decorate the door wreath with small or large stars, although the number will vary. The door wreath pictured consists of many small straw stars that are attached to a wire wreath form.
First you should make enough small straw stars. You can use different molds for this, or make simple stars yourself without a mold. Alternatively, you can buy the straw stars ready-made and simply attach them to the wreath. For a more beautiful effect, we recommend that you attach the stars to the wreath using small clothespins. To do this, first glue each straw star to a clothespin with hot glue. When all the stars are finished, they are clipped to the wreath form. If there are gaps somewhere in the shape, you can stick a few straw stars directly to the wire to close them. The finished door wreath can be used to decorate both the front door and the interior doors for Christmas.
With a little skill and good instructions, you can even make three-dimensional straw stars. They are usually not tied with thread, but woven and glued with glue. In addition to Germany, straw stars are also very popular in Scandinavian countries, especially in Sweden. There they are also used as part of the Christmas decorations and decorate both the Christmas tree and the rest of the apartment. Straw stars combine visually beautifully with green wreaths and give the interior a natural touch. You can give your modern Christmas decorations a traditional touch with some straw stars.
