How to Make Pinwheel

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Pinwheels are fun decorations and fun toys for children of all ages. You can use the pinwheel to decorate your yard for parties or watch the kids revel in the vibrant colors whirling around. Once you know how to make a basic pinwheel, you can make more stylish pinwheels with more wings. You can also make propellers with disc-shaped wings. It doesn’t shoot, but it looks lovely as a decoration.

Table of Contents

Make pinwheel simple

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Start with a square sheet of paper. You can use paper of any size, but about 15 cm is the best. ^{[1] X Research Source} Choose colorful paper; Two-sided printed paper with themed textures is best because both sides of it are patterned.

Draw 4 diagonal lines from the corners of the square to the center of the paper. Place the ruler on the paper connecting the upper left corner to the lower right corner. Draw a neat line following the ruler. Repeat this step from the top right corner to the bottom left corner. ^{[2] X Research Source}

You can also fold the paper diagonally twice to create an X-shaped fold ^{. [3] X Research Source}

Cut each line to the middle. Stop cutting when about 1cm – 2.5cm from the center of the paper. Don’t cut all the way to the center of the paper; otherwise your pinwheel will come loose.

Stitch the alternating corners to the center. Each corner of the paper is now cut into two small corners. You will stitch each alternate corner into the center of the paper. Make sure all the paper corners overlap in the center. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Don’t fold the paper. You have to let the pieces of paper bend.

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Thread the pin through the center of the paper. Remember to pierce all 4 corners and the pin should be in the center of the paper. Rotate the pin to widen the opening. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Attach a few small beads to the top of the pin. You will only need 1-3 beads. Remember that the beads should be the same shape and size. The beads will help lift the pinwheel away from the pinwheel and spin it.

Avoid using plastic beads for jewelry because they are too big.

Make stylish pinwheels

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Cut the paper into hexagons. Draw or print a hexagon on paper that you will use as a pinwheel. Cut the hexagon with scissors or a sharp metal ruler. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Textured paper is great for this, especially those with textures on both sides.

Draw lines connecting the corners so that they meet in the center of the hexagon. Use a ruler and pencil to draw lines connecting the opposite corners of the hexagon. When you’re done, you’ll have an asterisk (*) in the middle. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Cut a section along the lines. Stop cutting when you are about 1/3 of the line length from the center of the hexagon. Don’t cut all the way to the midpoint, or your pinwheel will come off. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Concatenate all alternating angles to the midpoint. Starting at the top, convolution alternate corners to the center in a circle until you return to the starting point. Make sure that the paper corners overlap at the center of the pinwheel. Do not rub the paper folds, the propeller blades must bend gracefully! ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Push a board pin through the center of the pinwheel. Make sure you pin all the merged corners to the center. Push the pointed end of the pin through the back of the pin. Move the pin to widen the hole.

Attach a few beads to the tip of the pin. You only need 1-3 beads is enough. These beads will lift the pin away from the pin and help it spin. Do not use beads for jewelry.

Punch a pinhole in the top of the wooden stick. Use a pin to punch a hole about 1.5 cm below the tip of the stick. If necessary, you can use a hammer to knock the pin into the wooden stick, then pull the nail out.

Insert the pinwheel into the wooden stick. Spin the pinwheel. If it gets stuck, pull the stapler a little further away. If the sharp end of the pin sticks out behind the stick, you can use a hammer or pliers to break it down. If the pin is too loose, pull it out, put some glue in the hole, and put it back in.

Make a decorative pinwheel

Cut a patterned craft paper into 4 pieces of paper. Take a square sheet of paper with sides 30 cm. Using a metal ruler and craft knife cut the paper into 4 pieces 7.5 cm wide. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Some craft papers have a white stripe along the bottom edge of the paper for labeling and pricing. You should cut this part off before cutting the paper into 4 pieces.
This type of pinwheel is used to decorate gift boxes, on walls or as decorations. They don’t spin like regular pinwheels.

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Fold the pieces of paper horizontally like a fan. Take the first piece of paper and fold the short side into a length of about 1.5 – 2.5 cm. Follow this fold to fold the rest of the paper in a fan-fold fashion. Fold in the same way with the remaining 3 pieces of paper. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Consider making a slight twist on one end of the folded stack of papers. Fold the piece of paper so that it looks like a closed paper fan. Cut one end of the stack of paper diagonally. Cut the stacks of paper one at a time, because its thickness makes it difficult to cut neatly. ^{[13] X Research Source}

You do not have to do this step. This is just a decorative step for the pinwheel.

Glue the pieces of paper together to form a longer strip of paper. Glue a piece of double-sided tape to one end of a strip of paper. Place the end of the other strip of paper against it and press the two strips together. Keep doing this until you have glued in a long strip of paper. ^{[14] X Research Source}

If both ends of the strips of paper are folded in opposite directions, they will form a V-shape when glued together. Trim one end so that the folded pieces are in the same direction.

Glue the paper strip into a circle. Apply glue or double-sided tape to one end of a strip of paper, pull the ends together, and press them together. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Fold the paper ring into a disc shape. If the pinwheel doesn’t lie flat, you’ll have to glue the back of it to keep it in place. Flip the pinwheel so the back side is facing up. Choose a wooden stick, straw, or bamboo skewers the same height as the pinwheel. Use hot glue to glue the stick to the center of the pinwheel, along the groove of the two pieces of paper. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Decorate the front of the pinwheel. To embellish the pinwheel, you can cut a small circle of the same type of paper and stick it on the front of the pinwheel to cover the hole. ^{[17] X Research Source} If you want the pinwheel to have a more rustic look, you can stick a large button on it.

Cut a cardboard circle to stick on the back of the propeller. This circle will make it easier for you to attach the pinwheel to the wall, to gift boxes or other objects. It’s fine if it’s the same color as the pinwheel, but it’s okay to use a different color. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Use a cup, jar, or bottle cap to draw a circle.

Use double-sided tape to stick the pinwheel. Glue a few pieces of double-sided tape to the back of the pinwheel, just above the circular piece of cardboard, then glue the pinwheel to the ribbon of the gift box you want to decorate.

If you want to stick the pinwheel on the wall, try using double-sided foam tape.
Try attaching multiple pinwheels together to make a long ribbon.

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Complete.

Advice

Make the pinwheel out of thin plastic sheets such as acetate or file pagination.
You can further beautify the pinwheel by painting the pinwheel with acrylic paint or spray paint first. Wait for it to dry and then attach the pinwheel.
Wrap a pretty ribbon in a spiral around the wooden stick before attaching the pinwheel.
You can use a straw instead of a wooden stick. The straw is not as durable, but it will be easier to attach.
Attach beads, buttons or decorative beads to the top of the pin on the front of the pin for a beautiful look.
Glue the reverse side of the two craft paper together for a double-sided craft paper. ^{[19] X Research Source}
Use a rubber stamp to decorate paper that has only one solid color. ^{[20] X Research Sources}
You can make the pinwheel simpler by attaching the pinwheel to the eraser at the end of the pencil. ^{[21] X Research Source}

Things you need

Make pinwheel simple

Color paper
Pencil
Ruler
Drag
Board Pins
Small beads
pushpins
Hammer (if needed)
Short, thin wooden stick

Make stylish pinwheels

Color paper
Pencil
Ruler
Drag
Board Pins
Small beads
pushpins
Hammer (if needed)
Short, thin wooden stick

Make a decorative pinwheel

Color paper
Pencil
Ruler
Drag
Two-sided tape
Hot glue gun and hot glue stick
Stapling Tools
Piece of cardboard or button

Steps

Make pinwheel simple

Make stylish pinwheels

Make a decorative pinwheel

Advice

Things you need

Make pinwheel simple

Make stylish pinwheels

Make a decorative pinwheel

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