Beaded curtains
Friday, August 25th, 2006
Even very little kids enjoy threading beads on to a string. AJ and I sat down together to make this beaded curtain for her door way and it held her attention span briefly, then she was off doing her own free-form beading experiments (her stuffed dog got a new collar, bracelet and watch) leaving me to finish the curtain - but it was a peaceful way to spend an hour or so. Older children might stick to it until the end and would probably need very little assistance.
You will need:
2-3 packs of brightly coloured drinking straws (we used about 100 straws altogether)
String
Medium sized plastic beads (optional)
Scissors
I started by cutting about 10 doorway lengths of string and tying a bead to the bottom of each to give them a bit of weight for when they are hanging. I then cut the straws into lengths of around 4cm although as you can see from the photo the lengths vary giving it a bit of a crazy, haphazard look, which I quite like. We then threaded the bits of straw on to the lengths of string and tied off the ends.
I threaded all of these lengths on to one long string at the top which spanned the width of the doorframe, and then crudely stuck each end of this on to the doorframe with tape. It’s a rough little project but quite cute and easy. I have seen a similar curtain that also included plastic beads and artificial flowers amongst the straw lengths.
Another great idea; Rosa sent us these beautiful photos of a bead curtain she discovered made of plastic bottle caps:

Tags: 11yrs+, 5 7yrs, 8 10yrs, beads, curtain, drinking straws, preschoolers, toddlers





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