Crepe Paper Garland/ Toran/ Hawaiian Lei

The post is too late for Diwali this year, but definitely something to keep in mind for next year!! It can also be used for decorations for Christmas, Birthday Parties, Baby Showers etc or for making garlands for a Hawaiian theme party.

I was searching for decoration tips for Diwali on Pinterest two days before Diwali!! I know – heights of procrastination. 😀

Please be forewarned – this paper garland/ Toran / Hawaiian Lei, while very easy to make is very time consuming. It took me a good 7-8 hours to make this 13 feet Toran.

Materials Required:

1. Crepe Paper Rolls/ Streamers;
2. A thick Needle; and
3. A thick thread.

Process:

While searching on Pinterest I saw this beautiful Crepe Paper Toran/Garland. You can click on Nima’s Blog – Creative Me for the process. 

Below is the video link I found on Nima’s Blog.

A few tips:

1. You can use only one color or more colors. I would recommend to limit the colors to 2 or 3. I used 3 color rolls (Red, Yellow and White).
2. The video link uses a normal sewing thread, I used the thicker thread – a ‘natural hemp cord’ which can usually be found in Walmart in their craft/sewing section. The advantage of using a thicker cord is that you will not need to double it while sewing and it will easily hold the weight of a longer garland. 
3. While sewing, push the layers together, as tight as you can. I felt that if the layers were were pushed tightly together, it became easier to twist the layers and the paper held its shape.

 Thank you to Creative Me and Get Crafty Crafty for this wonderful idea!!