Christmas stars with batiks

Another project I’ve been doing is based on a tutorial I pinned a while ago, but I’ve actually made these stars in paper since I was little in Denmark.

This tutorial is a flat star and the stars I made in paper were 3D

I first tried one in scraps of fabrics like the fabric tutorial without doing anything to the fabric other than ironing flat and I just didn’t like the result, so I decided to try again and actually sew the side closed and I used leftover batik strips from Island Batik (I trimmed to 2 1/2” and folded in half and half again, like bias tape. Each strip was about 18-20” long.

You start by folding each strip in half and braiding them together like this, going in a clockwise direction, each new strip wraps around the previous one and the last one’s strips go into #1 strip

Then you pull it tight

Then I folded down just the top strip from each set, starting at the top left, folded it down, then left strip, then bottom and lastly the right strip and that one also folds under strip #1 so now there’s 8 strips around.

Then like the tutorial you make the star point on the top right

and I did all 4 (top right- by turning the base)

Then I flipped it around and did the opposite sides, which is now top right again! a trick is to sort of fold the fabric edge (on the paper versions I’d cut the paper at an angle)

This is where the tutorial ended but now comes the FUN part

again working on the base, the “top” right, I folded in half to create another star point, pointing outward.

then without twisting it, you fold it into the left little slot (it’s tricky with fabric, but a little shoving and pulling makes it work)

Then you pull it until a star point is formed that’s 3D

The I did the remaining points

then I flipped it over and repeated on the other side, this side is trickier because you can’t lay it flat anymore but kid of have to hold it in your hand while working. Now all the strips are done and sticking out the sides again

I start by trimming the top right tips again and here I actually pulled the fabric strip out just a bit too much before trimming, then carefully pulled it back into the star point (you don’t do that with paper)

and VOILA! the star is trimmed and done

Here’s the first star I made too where I didn’t stitch the edges, it’s more bulky and I like the stitched look better.

I’ve made these as small as curling ribbon strips! – VERY fiddly….

it’s TINY!!

here’s the fabric ones and the regular paper one and the curling ribbon one.

Have you tried these?