String art stars are a gorgeous classic craft that has been on my must make list for a very, very long time and I have a lazy reason for not making them until now.
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Now I’m going to be completely honest here, the reason I never made them was because I don’t like cutting circles out of cardboard. I’m a straight edge and xacto kinda girl and circles are an awkward and tedious shape to cut out of thick material. Also in my defense, because I’m usually prepping for a class of 20 students, well, the idea of cutting 20+ circles out of cardboard is daunting.
And then earlier this year I purchased a material for a different project that turned out to be just about the perfect craft material for string art stars: Paper Coasters like these. Coasters work so well because they are thick and sturdy and not too big (paper plates are an option but are usually a bit large). My lazy cutter problem was solved! And because it’s impossible to make just one of these I was glad I had tons of coasters at my disposal.
How To Make String Art Stars
Materials
- Paper Coasters You can also cut circles out of cardboard or chipboard
- String We used crochet thread for the most part because it is thin and strong. You can also use thin yarn or embroidery thread.
- Scissors
- Clear Tape
- Pencil
- Beads (optional)
String Art Stars Instructions
Time needed:Â 10 minutes.
- Prepare the coaster
Using a pencil, plan out the location of the notches for your star. The more notches the more intricate the star will be. Make sure the notches are evenly spaced around the circle.
- Cut the notches
Cut a small triangular notch at each mark. Because the string will bunch up when wrapped over and over again around the coaster, it’s better to cut a notch than a slit.
- Start stringing
Cut a length of string and tape to the back. Begin wrapping it across and around the circle at the notch points to create a pattern or star design. When you run out of string tape the end to the back, cut a second length, tape it down and continue.
- Add embellishments (optional)
Beads make a pretty embellishment on lengths of string. Add a few when you are nearing the end of your design.
- Finish the star
When your design is complete, be sure to make sure all loose ends of string are securely taped to the back of the coaster. You’re done!
Pattern Ideas
- Skip notches Try skipping 1, 2, or 3 notches and going around the circle with the string then alternating when you reach the 1st notch.
- Rotating parallel lines Try stringing the thread across the circle and to the next notch to create parallel lines.
- Rotating squares Create a square out of string then move to the next notch over and create another square. Alternating it will create square star pattern.
- Fan it out Make a fan design by always coming back to one central notch.
What’s the STEAM
Art
String art is art made with colorful thread strung between points to create geometric pattern. String art stars particularly illustrate the concept of radial design. A radial design is one in which visual elements are arranged around a center point. In our string art stars even designs that don’t cross the center are still arranged around the circle’s center. Mandalas are an example of an art form based on radial design.
Math
String art stars are a beautiful lesson in geometry. String art stars demonstrate the following geometry concepts:
- Plane A flat surface. The coaster is our plane.
- Point A position on a plane surface. The notches are points along the edge of our circular plane.
- Line The long mark made by connecting two points. The string acts as our drawing material creating lines when strung between notches.
- Radius The distance from the center of a circle to its edge.
- Diameter The distance across the center of a circle.
- Circumference The distance around the center of a circle.
- Rotational Symmetry A type of symmetry where no matter how you rotate it, a design looks the same.
More
We have explored string art in other projects using nails and string:
String Art Stars is a classic craft has been featured on many of my favorite blogs over the years. Check out these wonderful examples of String Art Stars:
from top left across:
- Woven Cookie Stars on The Crafty Crow
- Star Weaving on Ramadan Joy
- String Craft Stars by Pysselbolaget
- String Art Stars on Coasters here
- Polymer Clay & String Star on Babble Dabble Do
- Cardboard Yarn Ornaments on Tauni Everret
- Geometric String Craft Stars on Creative Jewish Mom
- Woven Star Decorations on Mini Mad Things
- Giant Geometric Stars on Creative Jewish mom
If you love the combination of Math and Art be sure to check out my friend Karyn’s new book Math Art and Drawing Games for Kids
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