How to Make Butterfly Wind Chimes

How to Make Butterfly Wind Chimes.

Wind chimes can provide a pleasant addition to a warm day spent outdoors, both aesthetically and aurally. Making wind chimes from recycled materials is a way to make the process less expensive and more environmentally friendly. This guide will detail how to make your own wind chimes with a butterfly motif, which is perfect for spring and summer. You will only need a few tools and materials to make butterfly wind chimes of your own.

Steps.

1. Gather your materials. These butterfly wind chimes will be made from recycled soda cans. To make them, you will need 3 or 4 empty soda cans, some fishing line, a sewing needle, some metal washers in various sizes, scissors, a wooden embroidery hoop, a single-hole punch, and a butterfly punch. A butterfly punch is a tool for punching out the shape of a butterfly into a piece of flat material; these can be purchased at fabric and craft stores.

2. Create your butterfly shapes from the soda cans. The butterflies themselves will be made from the recycled soda cans. The number you'll want to make will vary depending on the size and design of your wind chimes. The design in this guide will make use of 12 butterflies.

Begin by preparing the cans for the butterfly punch. Using scissors, cut the top and bottom of each can away. Next, make a straight cut along the height of the can so that the aluminum can lay flat in a rectangular shape.

You may want to clean up the jagged edges of the rectangle by trimming them again with your scissors. It also helps to wipe the aluminum down with a damp rag so that any remaining soda residue is removed.

Use the butterfly punch to punch out your butterfly shapes from the sheet of aluminum. Punch out twice as many shapes as the number of butterflies you need. So, if you want 12 butterflies in your finished design, make 24 punches with the butterfly punch.

3. Thread the butterflies onto the fishing line. Two butterflies will be suspended from each of 6 lengths of fishing line - one at the end, and one near the middle.

Begin by punching a hole in the middle of each butterfly shape using the single-hole punch. Then, lay each butterfly piece on top of another, so that the soda can pattern is facing out on both sides.

Thread the fishing line onto your sewing needle, and run the line through the hole in both of the butterfly pieces. Loop the fishing line back around the butterfly and knot it to secure the butterfly to the line. You can trim the excess fishing line with scissors.

4. Finish each individual wind chime. Each length of fishing line will be finished when it is knotted to 2 butterflies and 2 of the metal washers. You can choose the overall length of the fishing line and the spacing between its elements based on your own taste.

After tying one end of the fishing line to a butterfly, loop the other end through one of the metal washers. Knot the washer onto the line about 2 inches (5 cm) above the butterfly.

Continue by knotting the next butterfly 2 inches (5 cm) above the washer. Finally, knot the final washer above the second butterfly. The fishing line should now be knotted through a butterfly, a washer, a butterfly, and another washer in that order. Place the fishing line aside and repeat the process until all 6 are finished.

After the butterflies are knotted to the fishing line, you can give them a more voluminous appearance by bending their wings outward a little.

5. Tie the wind chimes to the embroidery hoop. The embroidery hoop will be the piece from which the chimes hang. Tie each free end of the fishing lines to 6 equally spaced points on the hoop. You can vary the overall length that each line hangs if desired. Once the fishing lines are secured, the wind chimes are ready for hanging. The hoop can be suspended using the fishing line or another type of string.

Tips.

You can alter the design above to suit your own tastes. For example, you could use twigs knotted together instead of an embroidery hoop from which to hang the wind chimes.

Warnings.

Be careful when cutting aluminum cans, as the edges can become sharp or jagged.

Things You'll Need.

Soda cans (3 or 4).

Fishing line.

Sewing needle.

Metal washers.

Scissors.

Embroidery hoop.

Single-hole punch.

Butterfly punch.