Fold a Paper Star Garland for a Winter Window
A row of folded stars makes a winter window feel dressed after the holiday decorations come down. Each star starts as two paper fans, so there is no template to print. Choose paper colored on both sides if the garland will be visible from outdoors.
Cut enough for five stars
- Ten rectangles of lightweight paper, each 8 by 16 cm
- Five 20 cm lengths of sewing thread and one 120 cm length of cotton cord
- Glue stick, ruler, pencil, scissors and removable hooks suitable for the mounting surface
Ordinary copy paper folds easily at this scale. Avoid thick cardstock: a stack of tight folds becomes hard to trim cleanly.
Make the two fans
- Mark 2 cm intervals along both long edges of a rectangle. Start at one short edge and accordion-fold along the marks. The finished stack measures 8 by 2 cm.
- Fold the stack in half across its 8 cm length, then reopen it. At each short end, snip off one corner of the stack diagonally, removing only the outermost centimeter. Repeat with the second rectangle, trimming in the same direction so the fans match.
- Lay one stack on the other, align the center creases and tie thread around the middle. Open the folds into a circle and glue the four pairs of neighboring outside faces together. Hold each join closed briefly before spreading the next section. Keep one thread tail long enough to tie around the cord.
Space and hang the stars
Tie the first star at the center of the cord. Add the others at roughly 18 cm intervals, leaving extra cord for mounting. Hang on the trim where the garland will not catch when the window opens. Leave enough clearance that the paper does not touch condensation on the glass.
If the star gaps at one join, reopen that seam and coat the whole mating face with glue rather than adding a thick dab at the tip. If the middle twists, check that the thread sits in both center creases before tightening the knot.
