How do you make tissue paper lanterns?

Question

I saw some made with ballons and tissue paper...there were baby food jars to hold the tea lights I think....?...any instructions or links would be appreciated!

Answer 1

With difficulty. Do you want to make the big, round ones?
You will need a lot of copper wire or other thin wire,
and at least 100 feet just to make one or two.


~Japanese Hanging Lanterns~


+Materials

A helper
At least 10 sqare feet of tissue paper
3M Super 77 spray glue
100+ feet copper or other light wire
Something to wrap the wire around (various sizes of buckets or tubes)
Newspaper
Wire Snips


+Process

!. Begin by wrapping the wire around the smallest container you collected for about 5 turns.
Gradually work your way to your largest container
(about 20-40 turns) then work your way back down to the smallest size again.

2. When you hold up the coils, they should look like a large, round spring; the frame for your lantern.
Cut off the rest of the wire if it's good to go.

3.* Use more wire to secure the turns of the loop by looping the wire around each wire so the coils are about 1/2'' apart. Repeat two more times around the lantern with more wire.

4.Lay out the newspaper to protect your work surface from spray glue. Get your helper to hold the coil upright on its side while you apply glue starting at the inside bottom then working your way around.
Once the inside is fully covered, apply the tissue paper by pressing it gently against the frame.
Repeat on the outside.

5. You can add a hanger and a candleholder to your own preference. Otherwise, you are now finished!


* Variation:You can omit step 3 to make a collapseable lantern but step 4 will be more difficult.

Answer 2

Procedure Making the Frame
1. Take 12 sticks.
2. Take 1 stick and make it into a circle by overlapping the ends a
half inch and adhering them together. Repeat with another
stick.
3. Adhere the ends of two sticks securely together so you have
one long stick. Make this long stick into a circle by overlapping
the ends a half-inch and adhering them together. You should
now have 3 circles, one large and two small.
4. Take one stick and place a small circle on it near one end.
Bend the end over the circle and secure it using glue or tape.
5. Take the other small circle and do the same at the other end of
the stick.
6. Take the large circle and adhere it to middle of the stick.
7. Following the above procedure, attach another stick to the three
circles directly across from the first stick.
Page 2
8. Again attach another stick to the circles in between the first two
sticks. Continue to attach sticks, dividing the spaces until you
have used all of the remaining sticks.
9. Tie a piece of string onto one of the small circles, with each of
its ends knotted in sections that are directly across from each
other. This string will be used to hang the lantern. This small
circle, which the string is attached to, is now the top of the
lantern.
The Covering
1. Cut desired tissue paper into strips bigger than the opening.
2. Coat the sticks around an opening entirely with glue.
3. Gently lay tissue paper over the opening. Smooth the tissue
paper down onto the sticks. The tissue paper can be used to
cover multiple sections as long as the tissue paper covers each
completely (this makes the lantern stronger).
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until all of the sections are covered.
Students can create patterns based on their own preference
with the different colored tissue paper.
5. After the glue has dried, Carefully trim the excess edges of the
tissue paper off, as closely to the stick as possible.
Hang the finished lantern from a stick using the string. Have a
parade of lanterns as the Chinese do during the Lantern Festival, or
simply put the lanterns on display around the room.
Option I
For Small Children
Materials: Heavy, colorful paper about 10x15 inches; colorful tissue
papers or tissue paper; scotch tape; glue; string; sticks; scissors.
Procedure:
1. Take a piece of heavy paper and fold it like an accordion.
2. Cut out shapes from the two folded edges, taking care not to cut
the paper all the way across. This is similar to cutting
snowflakes.
3. Open up the paper and smooth it out.
4. Glue the tissue papers or tissue paper to the inside as a lining.
5. Form the heavy paper into a cylinder with the tissue on the
inside and glue or tape it shut.
6. Take a piece of string and tape the ends on opposite sides
inside of the lantern. This will be used for hanging.
Hang the finished lantern from a stick using the string. Have a
parade of lanterns as the Chinese do during the Lantern Festival, or
simply put the lanterns on display around the room.