Friday, September 16, 2011

Pretty Patchy Paper Lanterns

Oh hooray, it's a happy how-to! Today I will be showing you how to make some very simple Pretty Patchy Paper Lanterns, my that is a mouthful isn't it? These are just the thing to brighten up a drab corner, to add a festive air to a dull day, to use as decoration for a party, or to make just because they are so darn sweet! As is often the case with my tutorials, this is a project that works wonderfully using up your odds and ends, bits and bobs, and scraps of many sizes.

I shall begin with an ingredient list:

* Aforementioned odds and ends of pretty fabrics. For my examples I have used mostly vintage cut offs from my scrap pile.

* Bits and bobs of lace, ribbon, trim, old hankies, what-nots and etcetera

* 2 pieces of standard A4 card stock

* Embroidery Floss and large embroidery needle

* Lengths of yarn

* Scissors, thread, glue, tape

Alright then, the first lantern I'll be showing you is the plump roundy one with all the patches. Let's get started then shall we?

Start by gathering up a bunch of scraps that you think might play nicely together. Grab your 2 pieces of card stock and begin arranging your scraps on the papers. You might like to do this over a cup of tea or coffee. Just keep at it until the space is filled and you are pleased with the results.

Now you may want to use just a spot of glue to keep everything in place. If you do use glue, please only use a small amount and wait for it to dry because we are about to take this over to the sewing machine and we don't want any goopy glue to muck up the works, that would be a bummer!

Take your fabric festooned card stock over to your trusty sewing machine and just begin stitching your fabric to the paper. Use a straight stitch around the edges of your scraps, or use a fancy stitch across one part and another across a different part...do what you like just as long as all of the fabric is secured to the card stock.

Ok, that was fun. Now take your 2 pieces and put them end to end with about a 1/2 inch of overlap and it's back to the sewing machine to stitch the 2 pieces together to make one long piece.

Next, we turn our patchy card stock into a tube, overlap the ends by a half inch and tape in place on the inside.

When you stand it up, it's gonna look a little wonky, but don't worry we're gonna fix it. Get out your embroidery floss and your big needle, starting from the inside of the tube, poke your threaded needle through both layers of the paper and fabric and begin stitching that flap down.

Ack! excuse the blurry photo wont you!
You can simply stitch all the way down using a giant running stitch, cross hatches, etc...whatever you have the patience for really. I myself did not have a great deal of patience, so it came out a little crazy. For example...

All that is left now is to add something so you can hang it up. I used some yarn, whatever length suits your particular needs. Poke a hole about a half an inch from the top of the lantern at any spot you choose. Now poke another hole directly across from the first hole and thread your yarn through the holes and tie off. Like so...

Find a spot that needs a little happy and hang up your lantern!

For the other lanterns, you start by placing your 2 pieces of card stock side by side with a half inch overlap and sew them together.

For this example I chose a piece of fabric and cut it just slightly larger than the paper. I then used some spray adhesive (you could use regular glue as well) and smoothed the fabric over the card stock.

I then used a glue stick to fold over the edges of the fabric and stick them to the back.

I added a wee doily to the lantern and stitched it in place.

Your lantern is now ready to be finished in the same way as the first example!
Go ahead, make a few...you know you want to!


As always, if you are inspired to try your hand at these Pretty Patchy Paper Lanterns, I would be most pleased if you would share your creations on the Lola Nova Flickr group!

Edited to add: These lanterns are meant to be decorative and not for use with lights or bulbs.

Have a truly wonderful weekend my friends!

29 comments:

...C o w R o a d... said...

Excellent! I'm already smiling just looking at them! :-)

harmony and rosie said...

Oh yes, something like that really will inject a bit of happy to a situation. Love it!

Happy weekend to you xx

Sherri B. said...

Such pretty lanterns indeed and yes I do want to make some. I have a lightbulb on the end of electric cord with a metal cover (think heat lamp in coop type) hanging over my small work surface in The Little House kitchen, ugh..I just need to figure how I would hook up the shade to the light. - Thanks for another great tutorial and have a wonderful weekend! xo

Colette said...

They look amazing, oh for a few more free hours...

Anonymous said...

They are so pretty! Will be trying this as soon as I can! Thanks so much for sharing! x

Bobo Bun said...

What a fabulous idea. They look divine.

Thanks for sharing.

X

mel @ loved handmade said...

These are so beautiful! Thank you for sharing the 'how to'..x

Jennie said...

LOVE this Alex!xx

Cathie said...

ahhh, thanks for making me smile ♥

Katiebee said...

such a creative use of scraps!

happy weekending~

xo

katie

greenrabbitdesigns said...

Gorgeous, just love them!!!
Vivienne x

Momichka said...

What a beautiful tutorial!!
I'm in love with these lanterns.
One question though - if you wanted to use a light bulb, how would you attach it to the lantern?

Lola Nova said...

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments! I am so glad that you enjoyed the tutorial.

I have not included how to use them with a light bulb as I did not use any heat resistant material. So, I am not certain how you would attach them to a bulb or light source. If you have any ideas, please share!

Annemarie's Haakblog said...

Hi! I love your blog and your beautiful work! There's a link party on my blog every Saturday. I would love it if you’d hop over and add something. Have a lovely day! Annemarie

Catherine said...

These look gorgeous and they also look fun to make - thank you!
(PS maybe some kind of LED battery operated lantern could look cute inside and still be safe? not that I know how you'd attach it...)

Tania said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
New Life in Spain said...

That is so pretty! And creative! Thanks for sharing.

Karen said...

Very cool, thanks for the great tutorial!

Sandra Eterovic said...

I love these lamps and I wish I could make them and put dangerous lights in them! Love the lost lumberjack too....

Congratulations on your page/s in the Dottie book -- I am looking forward to reading it.

Carol Benoit @ Nidelva Soapmakers said...

You could use a small LED light run on a battery, or one of those little fake LED tealight candles. They don't heat up like conventional light bulbs. http://www.instructables.com/id/LEDs-for-Beginners/

Jenny Holiday & Aaron said...

I just love love love these!! So darling!!! Thanks so much for the tutorial!! :)

xo Jenny

andrea creates said...

these are so cute :)

Christine Jargick - JPEG Apothecary said...

so CUTE!!! and clever :) I am so going to make some of these.

Unknown said...

IO saw these on Poppytalk and just had to come over here to compliment you on your creativity. These lampshades are so pretty! An added bonus was discovering that you have a horse taped to your wall! :o)

Unknown said...

Truly beautiful, thank you to share!

Unknown said...

very pretty! i love them!


I linked to your tutorial on my blog - thanks for sharing!

doro K.

INNwerk said...

Very inspiring! It makes us feel happy! Thank you for your share.

Julie said...

These are so sweet and now that I see how clear and simple your directions are, I will make one or more for my studio. Thanks so much for generously sharing how you make them!

Unknown said...

Hi Lola,
You idea about paper lanterns is awesome !! you are really a Genius.