by Brittany Watson Jepsen

When I was in Nepal for a special project in June I stumbled upon some beautiful hangings cascading down the staircase of the architecture school in Kathmandu. Since they appeared to be made of paper I kept it in my memory bank and thought I’d give it a try here. The ones in the staircase were about 1 story high and twice the size, but I think these mini versions are more to scale for a home party.

Keep reading for the easy instructions!

Materials Needed: tissue paper scissors, glue gun or double-sided tape, ruler, string, cardboard, x-acto knife

Step 1. Cut cardboard in equilateral triangles (same length on each side). The ones shown here are 16cm on each side.

Step 2: Glue the triangle to the tissue paper leaving about 3 1/2″ of extra tissue for the fringe.

Step 3: Do the same to the other side of the cardboard.

Step 4: Cut around the triangle leaving 3 1/2″ all the way around. For the corners cut a wedge so that the paper will fall down flat on each side.

Step 5: Create a crease in the tissue so the fringe lays flat.

Step 6: With the x-acto knife, cut a whole in the triangle in one corner.

Step 7: From the corner draw an imaginary line to the center of the opposite side and create another hole.

Step 8: Cut two strings of equal length. Give yourself enough room depending on where you want to place it.

Step 9: Create a knot large enough so the end won’t slip through the holes then slide them through.

Step 10: Now, measure the length of the string according to where you want to place the next triangle. I measured the spacing at 15cm, slightly smaller than the size of the triangle. Double knot it.

Step 11: Slide the next triangle onto the string but make sure you alternate stringing from the corner and flat edge of the cut holes.

Step 12: String all the triangles on until you’ve reached your desired height.

The beauty of these is that they can be used for any occasion. Do red/green for Christmas, red/pink for Valentine’s, shades of green for St. Pattty’s, or use a child’s favorite colors for a birthday. Enjoy!

photos by Hilda Grahnat