When I was a kid, I used to LOVE pinwheels! I was obsessed with watching all the beautiful colors spin. These giant pinwheels are a playful nod to childhood nostalgia and…. they even spin!  Make them as party decor, gifts, or even just to play with. Read on to see how we made them!

Materials Needed: Canson Colorline paper (in fuschia, tomato, cadmium yellow, canary, emerald, primary blue, lilac), pencil, ruler, scissors, 3/4” hole punch, hot glue gun, 6” long dowels ½” diameter, ½” dowel caps, 3/4” pipe elbow, 4’ dowels ½” diameter

Step 1: Mark the midpoint of the long end of a Canson sheet in pencil. Draw a line, perpendicular from the midpoint, with a height of 13”. Then, draw two lines connecting the tip of the perpendicular line to the bottom corners of the sheet. You should have one large triangle, bisected into two segments.

Step 2: On the right half of the triangle, measure ½” from the perpendicular line and draw a line parallel to the existing line. Then, measure 4” from the base of the triangle and draw a line parallel to the base. Round the intersecting corner. The right half should now have an “L” shape. On the left half of the triangle, draw a large scalloped wing. Cut out the new shape.

Step 3: Use the new shape as a template for the rest of the blades of your pinwheel. Trace the outline of the blade onto the other sheets of paper and cut out. Then, use the hole punch to punch a hole at the top and right-most points of each blade.

Step 4: Layer the top-most points of each blade onto one another in an even circular fashion, lining up the holes. Add a touch of hot glue around the hole of each layer until the stack of blades are all connected.

Step 5: Attach a dowel cap to the end of a 6” dowel. Layer the “L” segments of each blade on top of one another, lining up the holes. Thread the dowel through both sets of holes, and add glue to the stem of the elbow. Attach to the stem of the elbow.

Step 6: Add glue to the inside of the elbow and insert the 4’ dowel. You’re all ready to go!

Crafting by Naomi Julia Satake