Tissue Paper Mats
June 30th, 2007 by admin
CRAFTS
We like to be able to tell you about these mats, for they cost almost nothing at all, and are so simple that any little boy or girl can make them.
All the material needed for them is three sheets of tissue-paper,—a light shade, a medium shade, and a dark shade, or, if you like, they can also be made of one solid color, but are not quite so pretty then.
Cut a piece of each color nine inches square, fold it across, and then across again, so as to form a small square, and then fold from point to point.
Lay on it a pattern, like the first diagram on next page (below), and cut the tissue paper according to the lines of the pattern. Opening the paper, you will find it a circle, with the edge pointed in scallops.
Now take a common hair-pin, bend its points over that they may not tear the paper, slip it in turn over each point, as shown in the diagram, and draw it down, crinkling the paper into a sort of double scallop. (The second diagram on next page [below] will explain this process.)
Treat your three rounds in this way, lay them over each other like a pile of plates, stick a small pin in the middle to hold them, set a goblet upon them, and gently arrange the crinkled edges about its base, so as to give a full ruffled effect, like the petals of a dahlia, although less stiff and regular. These mats are exceedingly pretty.
St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5,
Nov 1877-Nov 1878; No 1, Nov 1877
(Now in the Public Domain: not copyrighted in the United States)
NOTE: You might need to experiment with the paper folding and hairpin so that you can assist your children with this project if they need help. I haven’t tried this project yet, but it looks fascinating, although the crinkling process might take some experimenting.