Stretching nylons over wire frames to make flowers, fairies, or butterflies is an idea that reminds me of the good old kountry krafting movement of the 80s, but I have seen some new versions of this kind of crafting that are pretty amazing. Take this modern-looking flower arrangement by Craftster user iratokid. She even hand-dyed the nylons (with Easter egg dye!) to get a one-of-a-kind (and more upscale) look. [click here for iratokid’s project]
The basic premise of this craft is creating a shape with wire (in this project, wire hangers), and then stretching nylons over it. Iratokid dyed her nylons with easter egg dye, but you can try using food coloring, vinegar and hot water. She reported that the nylons actually took the dye pretty well. Her project also included some jeweled “wind twisters” that she added to the stems, and a little white picket fence she put around the pot. I’m not including these in the project estimate.
Project Estimate:
- Knee-high stockings, $1
- Wire hangers, $1
- Flower pot, on hand or $1
- Styrofoam floral cube, on hand or $1
- Food coloring & vinegar for dye, on hand
Total: $4
4 Comments
Sister Diane
Awesome! And if you don’t mind my offering this, New Sheer, the company that’s re-introducing this craft in the US these days, has all kinds of colors – including 2-color washes – of nylon for $1.50. The piece is plenty large enough for 6-12 flowers. They also have some of the best prices on stamens anywhere.
Fe
Your nylon flower looks excellent. I particularly like how you placed it in a pot for an indoor plant feel. You can do so many other things with the nylons too. My next venture is learning how to make butterflies, dragon flies and lady bugs as well.
Thanks for sharing your creation.
Craftzilla
You’d think that it would look tacky, but it doesn’t at all. Pretty awesome!
cafay1
I just found your blog and just had to share it with my facebook friends. Your crafts ROCK! They are great. I am going to follow you and look forward to more. Thanks for the great craft projects!