Accordion-folding paper is easy and super fun. The effect is cool and can be used on so many projects! I asked my kids what accordion-folded craft they thought should go in this book and my son immediately suggested a spider. What a great choice, as those spidery legs are perfect for a paper accordion!
Materials
- 1 sheet each of black and purple paper
- Thread or baker’s twine, for hanging
- White paper scraps
Tools
- Paper cutter (optional)
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Glue stick
- Small plate (optional)
- Pens
1. Begin by making a “witch’s ladder”: Cut 8 (3⁄8-inch [1-cm]-wide) strips of black paper and 8 strips of green paper. I used the long side of an 81⁄2 x 11–inch (21.6 x 27.9–cm) sheet of paper; if your paper dimensions are a little different, that is fine; just make them as long as possible. If you have a paper cutter, use that; otherwise, take your time and cut your paper carefully!
2. Glue the end of a strip black paper onto the end of a strip of green paper at a right angle.
3. Now, fold the lower strip of paper over the top of the second strip. Repeat, alternating colors, by folding the second strip over the first and so on. Continue until you have no more paper left along the strips and then secure the ends with glue. Repeat to form a total of 8 accordion-folded 2-tone legs.
4. Cut 2 ovals or circles for the spider’s body—we used the remaining black paper. The size is a question of preference. You can trace around a small plate, if it helps. Use a glue stick to glue the end of 4 legs to 1 side of an oval and the ends of the other 4 legs to its opposite side.
5. Cut some thread or baker’s twine for hanging. Add glue to the back of oval to which the legs are attached, place the second disk on top and make sure you insert the end of hanging thread to the top, too! Press the 2 disks together to secure.
6. Finally, draw some eyes onto white paper. This is the bit where your paper spider really comes to life and you can experiment with positions and number of eyes. Each position/type of eye will give your spider a different character. I was going to use 2 eyes, but my daughter said 5 looked more fun.
Reprinted with permission from Easy Paper Projects by Maggy Woodley, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019 Photo credit: Maggy Woodley
