Crafter Margaret Chapman shows a wild and whimsical way to make a "wind spinner" out of recycled plastic soda bottles. The directions come from the McCall's Creates series of booklets produced by the McCall Pattern Company. They're available in craft and fabric stores. Materials:
1-liter plastic soda bottle
Paper with desired pattern drawn on it
Carbon paper
Pencil
Masking tape
Wood-burning tool
Orange and yellow acrylic paint
Plastic cup
Black paint pen
Fisherman swivel
Cotter pin
1 3/4 yards vinyl lacing
Pliers
18 pony beads
Scissors
Hot-glue gun and glue
Fishing line
- Trace or draw the butterfly pattern onto a piece of paper that fits around a 1-liter plastic soda bottle.
- Tape carbon paper around the bottle, with the carbon side facing the bottle. Wrap the pattern around the bottle over the carbon paper. Put the top of the pattern for a one-way design at the base of the bottle. Remember: the bottle will hang upside-down from the base when the wind spinner is finished. Use a pencil to trace the design onto the bottle. Remove the pattern and carbon paper (figure A).
- Practice cutting on a test soda bottle with the wood-burning tool. Follow the tool manufacturer's safety instructions.
- Glide the tip of the wood-burning tool over the solid lines of the traced design. Use the full motion of your arm for good control of the tool and a smooth, continuous cut (figure B).
- Pull each cut panel up and out. Fold each panel back on the broken lines of the traced design to pop up the design (figure C).
- Use the wood-burning tool to make a 1/4" hole in the center of the cap ( figure D) and in the center of the base (figure E).
- Paint the bottle cap and base with yellow acrylic paint. Let dry. Paint the butterfly wings with orange acrylic paint. Let dry (figure F).
- Use the black paint pen to outline the wings and paint detail on them (figure G).
- Cut the vinyl lace into six equal pieces. Knot one end of each string. Thread several beads on each lace, tying a knot every few inches to space the beads along the lace. Push the ends of the vinyl laces through the hole in the cap to make a tassel. Tie the ends in a knot on the inside of the cap. This provides weight to the bottle so it will spin (figure H).
- Use pliers to attach a fisherman's swivel to the loop on the cotter pin. Put the arms of the cotter pin inside the bottle base and the swivel and loop through the hole (figure I). Thread nylon fishing line through the loop on the swivel. Trim the fishing line to the hanging length desired, then tie the ends together to create a hanging loop (figure J).
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