Papel Picado

A two-tier garland of nine tissue-paper flags: five hang over the twine by a folded hem, and four hang between them on threads. Trace the figure and its cutwork mesh from the template and cut them out; a symmetrical design is cut from a sheet folded in half.

• Hard
• 48 steps
• 9 Letter sheets
• 9 pieces

Make it with your phone cameraLesson code: 8420

On VanGami the template appears over your sheet through your phone camera — no printer needed. Trace it, cut, fold and glue. Below are all the steps in text.

What you’ll need

• 9 Letter sheets — office paper, 80 gsm (20 lb)
• Markers
• Pencil — and eraser
• Scissors — with sharp tips
• Thread or string
• Glue stick — and narrow tape
• Glass — phone stand

Steps

Trace

1. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
2. Dove: outline. Under the camera — a sheet of this color: . This design isn’t symmetrical — trace the whole outline. The dashed line at the top is the hem for the twine.
3. Dove: windows. Trace all the windows inside the outline.
4. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
5. New sheet · Fold line. Remove sheet 1 and put a sheet of this color in its place: , edge to edge; don’t move the phone. Use a ruler to draw dashed line 4⅛ in from the left edge of the sheet, and fold the sheet exactly along it: the left part lies on the right. The folded sheet lies on the right half of the template.
6. Heart: outline. Trace half of the design: from the fold and back to the fold. The other half will appear on its own when you unfold the sheet.
7. Heart: windows. Trace the windows inside the outline. Along the fold they appear as halves — they’ll become whole when you unfold the sheet.
8. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
9. New sheet · Fold line. Remove sheet 2 and put a sheet of this color in its place: , edge to edge; don’t move the phone. Use a ruler to draw dashed line 4⅛ in from the left edge of the sheet, and fold the sheet exactly along it: the left part lies on the right. The folded sheet lies on the right half of the template.
10. Skull: outline. Trace half of the design: from the fold and back to the fold. The other half will appear on its own when you unfold the sheet. The dashed line at the top is the hem for the twine.
11. Skull: windows. Trace the windows inside the outline. Along the fold they appear as halves — they’ll become whole when you unfold the sheet.
12. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
13. New sheet · Fold line. Remove sheet 3 and put a sheet of this color in its place: , edge to edge; don’t move the phone. Use a ruler to draw dashed line 4⅛ in from the left edge of the sheet, and fold the sheet exactly along it: the left part lies on the right. The folded sheet lies on the right half of the template.
14. Flower: outline. Trace half of the design: from the fold and back to the fold. The other half will appear on its own when you unfold the sheet. The dashed line at the top is the hem for the twine.
15. Flower: windows. Trace the windows inside the outline. Along the fold they appear as halves — they’ll become whole when you unfold the sheet.
16. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
17. New sheet · Fold line. Remove sheet 4 and put a sheet of this color in its place: , edge to edge; don’t move the phone. Use a ruler to draw dashed line 4⅛ in from the left edge of the sheet, and fold the sheet exactly along it: the left part lies on the right. The folded sheet lies on the right half of the template.
18. Guitar: outline. Trace half of the design: from the fold and back to the fold. The other half will appear on its own when you unfold the sheet.
19. Guitar: windows. Trace the windows inside the outline. Along the fold they appear as halves — they’ll become whole when you unfold the sheet.
20. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
21. New sheet · Fold line. Remove sheet 5 and put a sheet of this color in its place: , edge to edge; don’t move the phone. Use a ruler to draw dashed line 4⅛ in from the left edge of the sheet, and fold the sheet exactly along it: the left part lies on the right. The folded sheet lies on the right half of the template.
22. Candle: outline. Trace half of the design: from the fold and back to the fold. The other half will appear on its own when you unfold the sheet.
23. Candle: windows. Trace the windows inside the outline. Along the fold they appear as halves — they’ll become whole when you unfold the sheet.
24. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
25. New sheet · Fold line. Remove sheet 6 and put a sheet of this color in its place: , edge to edge; don’t move the phone. Use a ruler to draw dashed line 4⅛ in from the left edge of the sheet, and fold the sheet exactly along it: the left part lies on the right. The folded sheet lies on the right half of the template.
26. Sun: outline. Trace half of the design: from the fold and back to the fold. The other half will appear on its own when you unfold the sheet. The dashed line at the top is the hem for the twine.
27. Sun: windows. Trace the windows inside the outline. Along the fold they appear as halves — they’ll become whole when you unfold the sheet.
28. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
29. New sheet · Fold line. Remove sheet 7 and put a sheet of this color in its place: , edge to edge; don’t move the phone. Use a ruler to draw dashed line 4⅛ in from the left edge of the sheet, and fold the sheet exactly along it: the left part lies on the right. The folded sheet lies on the right half of the template.
30. Cactus: outline. Trace half of the design: from the fold and back to the fold. The other half will appear on its own when you unfold the sheet.
31. Cactus: windows. Trace the windows inside the outline. Along the fold they appear as halves — they’ll become whole when you unfold the sheet.
32. Sheet color. The paper is white, but the sheet should be colored: color it all over in the color of the dot next to the step name before you trace the pattern. You can skip it — the decoration will come out white.
33. New sheet · Fold line. Remove sheet 8 and put a sheet of this color in its place: , edge to edge; don’t move the phone. Use a ruler to draw dashed line 4⅛ in from the left edge of the sheet, and fold the sheet exactly along it: the left part lies on the right. The folded sheet lies on the right half of the template.
34. Butterfly: outline. Trace half of the design: from the fold and back to the fold. The other half will appear on its own when you unfold the sheet. The dashed line at the top is the hem for the twine.
35. Butterfly: windows. Trace the windows inside the outline. Along the fold they appear as halves — they’ll become whole when you unfold the sheet.

Cut

36. Cut out: dove. Cut out the piece along the outline; cut the windows with a craft knife on cardboard.
37. Cut out: heart. Without unfolding the sheet, cut both layers at once: the outline first, then the openings. For an opening in the middle, poke through with the scissor tip and cut toward the line.
38. Cut out: skull. Without unfolding the sheet, cut both layers at once: the outline first, then the openings. For an opening in the middle, poke through with the scissor tip and cut toward the line.
39. Cut out: flower. Without unfolding the sheet, cut both layers at once: the outline first, then the openings. For an opening in the middle, poke through with the scissor tip and cut toward the line.
40. Cut out: guitar. Without unfolding the sheet, cut both layers at once: the outline first, then the openings. For an opening in the middle, poke through with the scissor tip and cut toward the line.
41. Cut out: candle. Without unfolding the sheet, cut both layers at once: the outline first, then the openings. For an opening in the middle, poke through with the scissor tip and cut toward the line.
42. Cut out: sun. Without unfolding the sheet, cut both layers at once: the outline first, then the openings. For an opening in the middle, poke through with the scissor tip and cut toward the line.
43. Cut out: cactus. Without unfolding the sheet, cut both layers at once: the outline first, then the openings. For an opening in the middle, poke through with the scissor tip and cut toward the line.
44. Cut out: butterfly. Without unfolding the sheet, cut both layers at once: the outline first, then the openings. For an opening in the middle, poke through with the scissor tip and cut toward the line.

Unfold

45. Unfold. Carefully unfold each sheet and smooth the fold with your fingernail. If the halves cling to each other, separate them with the tip of a craft knife.

Hang

46. Twine. Stretch a piece of twine about 35½ in long: tie the ends to chair backs or tape them to a wall.
47. Sheets onto the twine. Fold the hem back along the dashed line, apply glue to it, wrap it over the twine, and press down. From left to right: dove, flower, skull, sun, butterfly.
48. Bottom row. The bottom-row sheets — heart, candle, cactus, guitar — hang lower. Tape the ends of a thread to the top corners of each one to make a loop; hang it on the twine between the top sheets so that the top of the sheet is 5½ in below the twine.

Done. The decoration is ready. Hang it where there's a light draft: it will sway.

Make it with your phone camera

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