Paper Chain Garland

A garland of 24 paper rings in four fall colors, about 35½ in long. Each strip is rolled, threaded through the previous ring, and glued with an overlap; the finished chain goes onto a rod and sags in three arcs.

• Easy
• 24 rings
• 4 paper colors
• 90 cm — length
• 18 mm — strip width

Make it with your phone cameraLesson code: 2762

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

• 4 Letter sheets — office paper, 80 gsm (20 lb)
• Markers
• Pencil — and eraser
• Ruler — 8–12 in
• Scissors — small
• Glue stick — or PVA glue
• Rod or stick, 17¾ in or longer — 19¾ in ruler, mop handle, or a tightly stretched string
• Two supports taller than 9⅞ in — stacks of books, tall jars, or the backs of two chairs
• Tape — if the glue won’t hold a ring; masking tape — to hang it without a rod
• Glass — phone stand

Steps

Sheet 1

1. Sheet 1: terracotta sheet. The terracotta sheet should be under the camera now. The template has 4 sheets. The sheet is white — the pieces get their color at the coloring step.
2. Frame. Using a ruler, trace a 5¾ × 4¼ in rectangle. It will yield six strips.
3. Five lines. Inside it, draw five lines ¾ in apart — also with a ruler. You’ll cut the rectangle into strips along them.
4. Terracotta. The paper is white, but these parts should be this color: color them in completely, up to the outline. Move the marker in one direction.

Sheet 2

5. Sheet 2: orange sheet. Remove the previous sheet and put the orange sheet in its place, lined up edge to edge. Don’t move the phone — the scale stays the same. The sheet is white — the parts get their color at the coloring step.
6. Frame. The same 5¾ × 4¼ in rectangle — on this sheet.
7. Five lines. And the same five lines inside, ¾ in apart.
8. Orange. The paper is white, but these parts should be this color: color them in completely, up to the outline. Move the marker in one direction.

Sheet 3

9. Sheet 3: mustard sheet. Remove the previous sheet and put the mustard sheet in its place, lined up edge to edge. Don’t move the phone — the scale stays the same. The sheet is white — the parts get their color at the coloring step.
10. Frame. The same 5¾ × 4¼ in rectangle — on this sheet.
11. Five lines. And the same five lines inside, ¾ in apart.
12. Mustard. The paper is white, but these parts should be this color: color them in completely, up to the outline. Move the marker in one direction.

Sheet 4

13. Sheet 4: plum sheet. Remove the previous sheet and put the plum sheet in its place, lined up edge to edge. Don’t move the phone — the scale stays the same. The sheet is white — the parts get their color at the coloring step.
14. Frame. The same 5¾ × 4¼ in rectangle — on this sheet.
15. Five lines. And the same five lines inside, ¾ in apart.
16. Plum. The paper is white, but these parts should be this color: color them in completely, up to the outline. Move the marker in one direction.

Cut

17. Cut out: terracotta blank. Cut out the rectangle along the frame. Don’t cut the lines inside yet.
18. Cut out: orange blank. Cut out the rectangle along the frame. Don’t cut the lines inside yet.
19. Cut out: mustard blank. Cut out the rectangle along the frame. Don’t cut the lines inside yet.
20. Cut out: plum blank. Cut out the rectangle along the frame. Don’t cut the lines inside yet.
21. Cut the strips. Cut each blank along the five lines. You’ll get 24 strips, 5¾ × ¾ in — six of each color.

Glue

22. First ring. Roll the terracotta strip into a ring, colored side out: apply glue to ⅜ in of one end and press the other end onto it. Hold for 10 seconds — the ring shouldn’t open.
23. Second — through the first. Apply glue to the end of the orange strip, thread it through the first ring, and only then glue the ends together. The rings are linked and move freely.
24. Third — through the second. Thread the mustard strip only through the last ring — the second, not the first. This way the chain grows from one end.
25. All 24 rings. The fourth ring is plum; after that the colors repeat in the same order until you run out of strips. You’ll get a chain of 24 rings about 35½ in long.

Hang

26. Onto the rod. Thread the rod through the end rings and the eighth ring from each end (that’s rings 1, 8, 17 and 24) and spread them apart. Rest the rod on two supports taller than 9⅞ in: the garland will sag in three arcs and won’t touch the table.

Done. The garland is done. Need it longer? Cut more strips: there’s room left on the sheets, and you can extend the chain from either end.

Make it with your phone camera

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