How to make a Tissue Lantern by Going Wild!

www.goingwild.net
MAKING TWIG AND WILLOW WITHY LANTERNS
A procession with giant brightly coloured lanterns is a beautiful and thrilling way to celebrate seasonal festivals such as mid-summer, Halloween, Bonfire night, Christmas, or for any shared outdoor community event. Have a go at making these wonderful lanterns, whether you wish to make smaller and simpler twig lanterns for a party in the garden or the woods, or the more ambitious willow withy lanterns that are becoming increasingly popular at festivals and celebrations. Sometimes artists will work with local communities work to create huge lanterns to mark special occasions.

TWIG LANTERNS
These small lanterns are great for a family picnic or a party; they are relatively easy to make using a few twigs that are easily collected from gardens, parks or woods.

What you need
• Bendy twigs such as willow or hazel; this is a great activity for using winter prunings
• Masking tape and diluted PVA glue, old paintbrushes and sponges
• Coloured tissue paper – wet strength tissue paper is best.
• Scissors and secateurs

Making the lanterns
• Make a frame with the bendy twigs, sticking them together with masking tape. Start with the base of the lantern and then build it up from there into whatever shape you wish.
• Make a loop at the top of the lantern for hanging it up.
• If you wish to light your lantern, attach a small glass jar securely to the base with tape and put a night light inside the jar.
• Cut the tissue paper into the right shapes to fit over the lantern and fix it in place with a little tape.
• Sponge diluted PVA glue over the tissue paper; this makes it stronger. Add more layers of tissue paper if you wish, or cut out small tissue paper shapes to decorate the lantern. Cover each layer of paper in diluted PVA.
• If you wish to light the lantern, cut a small hole at the top to let heat out then light the night-light and hang the lantern up somewhere safe.
• Small torches taped to base can be used as a safer alternative to night-lights.

WILLOW WITHY LANTERNS
The beauty of willow is its flexibility; it can be used to weave any sculptural form from animals and birds to flowing shapes and architectural structures. There are a few basic pointers and the rest is up to you! These sculptural shapes were made by sticking a few withies into the ground to form large random shapes. After coating each piece of willow with diluted PVA glue, tissue paper was carefully placed on top and pulled tight across the frame. More diluted PVA was sponged over the tissue before adding further tissue layers. The whole thing was left to dry, then decorated with paintings and drawings.

You will need
• Willow withies; we have used freshly pruned willow from our gardens, but you can also purchase dried willow withies from a range of suppliers on the Internet or if you are using freshly cut willow and pushing and squashing into shape!
• Masking tape and PVA glue, old paintbrushes and sponges
• White or coloured tissue paper; the wet strength tissue is best
• Night lights and small jars or small torches
• Scissors and secateurs

Making the lanterns
• First of all you need to make a shape from your willow withies; they can be woven together or stuck with masking tape, or a combination of the two. Here are a few basic tips for willow weaving which might be useful when making a lantern:
1. A sphere – the basic building block. Make a circle from one length of willow by bending it around and then weaving the ends up and around until they are fixed in place. Make two more circles the same size then push one circle inside another one at right angles, and pull the third one over the top to produce a basic sphere. This can be squashed into an oval – perhaps the start of an animal’s body. Or fill in the gaps by adding more willow circles to make a more complete ball if you wish.
2. A square/cube – Cut 4 pieces of straight willow the same length. Make these into a square using masking tape. Make 5 more identical squares and join them together into a cube using diagonal pieces of willow to add strength.
3. Cylinders, pyramids – Any shape can be made by adding different shapes together or by joining lots of the same shape to form a large lantern frame
4. Plaiting – Push three or four willow rods into the ground then plait them together. Good for handles
5. Binding rods together – Hold several rods together in one hand, and then wind another rod around and around to bind them together. Make the binding tight and neat; thread the end down through the middle to complete.
• Remember that you will need a strong base on which to fix the candle or torch. Your willow lantern will also need a loop at the top so it can be hung up or carried on a stick.
• Fix the tissue paper in place by painting diluted PVA on to the twigs then placing the paper over the top. Sponging PVA on the tissue paper makes it much stronger and also gives it a translucent quality – but you need to allow plenty of time for it to dry.
• Add different colours of paper if you wish in layers, or cut out shapes to stick onto white paper.
• Make sure the base is left open so the nightlight or candle can be inserted into the jar and lit. Cut a small hole at the top of the lantern to let the heat out.
• Put each lantern on a long pole and you are ready for your celebratory procession!

Safety tips
• Use secateurs with care; children should only use sharp tools when adults are around
• Attach the jars securely to the lantern’s base and if using nightlights make sure they are not in contact with the tissue paper
• Never leave the lanterns unattended