I promised I would post this tutorial weeks ago, and I've finally got around to the pics this morning. I've been making and giving these angels away for 20 years and even sold them at craft fairs. They are cheap and easy to make and so much fun, plus they look so pretty on any style of tree.
This post is photo heavy, so please be patient. I'm trying to cover all the steps with pics and instructions.
I have made these angels using all types of yarns and fibers, including string, flat lace, ribbons, torn fabric and jute twine. Each material has its charms and the look of your angels will change with each different material.
BODY-I have used a paperback book for this demo. It is easy to use and the proportions are just right for the angels for most every fiber except for small string. Wrap your yarn about 50 times around the book, longways. Tie it at the top with a piece of yarn and cut the yarn through at the bottom of the book, so you have 50 long pieces of yarn tied at the top like the start of a tassel.
Tie the head off about 1" down from the top, forming a neck.
Now split the rest of the yarn approximately in half and separate as shown.
ARMS-Wrap yarn 25 to 30 times around the short side of the book. Tie off at one side. DO NOT CUT the looped yarn.
Slip the tied loops off the book and you will have a bundle that looks like this.
Put the tied loop bundle inside the divided angel body and pull one group of cut body yarn thru the arm loop. Adjust so the tie on the arm bundle is at the top.
Pull the body yarn down and tie off the waist of the angel just below the arms.
Pinch the arm bundle at the tie and twist it towards the angel body 2 or 3 times to get a nice bent arm shape.
Hot glue the tied arms to the waist of the angel body. I use the blunt end of a crochet hook to "comb" the skirt yarn. Anything smooth will work as long as it doesn't snag the yarn.
WINGS-I use lace for most of my angel wings. Wrap it around the short side of the paperback 6 to 8 times.
Slip the bundle of lace off the book and tie in the middle. DO NOT CUT ANY LOOPS of the wing bundle. Hot glue wings to back of angel, right below the where the neck is tied off.
Your yarn angel is taking shape!
HAIR WIG-The smallest hair bundle makes a wig with a bun and is best made by winding yarn around four of your fingers about 25 times. Tie off the bundle but do not cut the loops.
Slip the wig bundle off your fingers. It should look like this.
Tie the bundle close to one end to form a ponytail/bun. You want the head part of the wig to be larger and open to fit the angel's head.
Put hot glue on top of the head just a little forward of the center tie. Center your wig front over the glue and press down while the glue sets. Press and arrange the wig as you wish then hot glue the sides to the head right about where the ears would be.
Put another dab of hot glue at the back of the neck to secure the bun part of the wig in place.
Your angel's hair should look like this from the back. If you wind the wig yarn around the short side of the paper back and tie it off you will have a longer ponytail. If you wind the yarn around the long side of the paperback and tie it off you will have a nice long wig that looks awesome in a fat braid!
Here she is dressed up in white foofaraw. I love going into my stash and finding small embellishments for my angels. Scrap book gems, buttons, lace, beading, you name it, you can use them on these little angels!
Here is one done in chunky white yarn and gold embellishments. I made her wig out of thinner yarn so it wouldn't look so big. Once you get the basic steps down pat you can make these angels out of lots of different fibers. I've made them as small as 3" tall out of string and as large as 18" out of chunky yarn. They all look great!
Here is one made of lace with a dowel and thread spool base.
And here is one of my favorite style of angels, made out of crochet string.
Barely 3" tall, she has shaped wings made of sheet music with glittered edges and she carries a little book of the same paper. And here's the sweetest part.....
Her extra long hair is tied into a thick braid down her back. Cute! I've started doing these long chunky braids on all of the angels I'm making this year, and I love the look.
I'll be posting this in the parties on my sidebar, starting Wednesday, so please come visit and join the fun. Lots of creative ideas are out in blogland!
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