Polish Stars

Published December 11, 2013

If you would like to make a special homemade ornament this holiday season, this may be the one for you.

I was fortunate to be introduced to these beauties last year and they are sure to impress even the most discerning recipient.

The Polish stars (also known as the Polish hedgehogs) have been a traditional Christmas decor item for more than 100 years. Pronounced “jezki” in Polish, these stars date back to the days when there were no Christmas ornaments available in stores. On cold winter evenings family and friends would gather together and using paper, glue and string, create Christmas stars in various colours.

This craft has been passed down from generation to generation and many can be found in homes to this day. They can hang as ornaments on your tree and the larger versions can be used to decorate mantels and tables within the home.

They may look complicated to make but after trying a few, you will find that you will pick it up quite easily. And you won’t be disappointed as the results are stunning.

Materials

White printer paper

Pencil, scissors

Decorative String

Sequins

Large yarn needle

To begin, you will need to make 10-14 circles 7.6-to 10-centimetres in diameter. Trace the bottom of a drinking glass and cut out the circles.

Fold each circle in half.

Repeat two more times.

You should have eight segments.

Using a nickel, make a circle in the centre of each round. Cut each segment just until the drawn nickel circle.

Using a sharp pencil, carefully roll up from one edge to the other and apply a dab of glue to form a small cone. Repeat this for all eight wedges.

When you are done, you should have a small star. Repeat this step for the remaining nine circles.

Snip a piece of decorative string approximately 30 cm long. Using your yarn needle, make a hole in the centre of each star. Thread a sequin on the decorative string into the middle.

Thread both ends of the decorative string through the large needle and insert the needle through the hole in the star. Repeat with the other stars to stack them on top of each other.

Add another sequin to the last star and push in. Take the needle off and take both ends of the string to pull all the stars together to make a ball shape. This is your finished star.

Tie with a knot to secure all the stars together and use the remaining string to tie for hanging.

To view a tutorial on YouTube, click here.

– See more at: http://www.nsnews.com/living/paper-stars-brighten-the-christmas-tree-1.755075#sthash.3mSCutsE.dpuf