For needlewomen, everything goes into business. It would seem what the old newspapers and magazines are for, but the craftswomen also make pretty and, most importantly, necessary things from them.
Preparation for work
Prepare the straws. Cut newspaper sheets into strips 6-8 cm wide. This is more convenient, faster and easier to do with a long metal ruler and a clerical knife. Mark the width of the strips on the newspaper, fold several sheets on top of each other, so that the sheet with the markings is at the top of the stack. Then attach a metal ruler and cut the strips along it, trying to cut through all the sheets. Also, the strips can be cut with ordinary scissors, and they do not necessarily have to be absolutely even, it's okay if in some places the width of the strip is a couple of millimeters narrower or thicker.
Twist the tubes. A knitting needle or a wooden barbecue stick will help you with this. Place a stick on top of it at an angle of about 45 degrees. Start winding a strip of newspaper on a stick, periodically smearing it with PVA glue. When the paper is rolled up completely, pull out the stick, leave the tubes to dry.
Staining the tubes
When the tubes are completely dry, you can proceed directly to the manufacture of the thing and paint the finished one, or you can do it in advance. It is best to pre-paint the tubes if you are going to make a multi-colored product. Any paint will do: acrylic, gouache, stain.
It is very convenient to use a can of paint for this purpose. In order for the tubes to be completely painted over, you will need to apply several layers on them, and each previous one must dry completely.
To obtain the desired color, you can mix paints of different shades or use a color scheme. However, products painted with these paints are afraid of water, so they cannot be wiped with a damp cloth, and even less washed. If you want to give extra strength to a piece woven from newspaper tubes, cover the finished product with several layers of varnish.
Weaving from newspaper tubes
Now proceed directly to making things. Fold 2 tubes crosswise, if the product is large, fold 2 tubes together and lay them crosswise (this will give additional strength to the base). Then add 2 more tubes, between them you should get an angle of 45 degrees.
The principle of weaving from newspaper tubes is the same as when weaving baskets from rods.
Now take another tube from the newspaper (it will be working) and start braiding the base. Braid one from above, the next from below, alternate until the end of the row. Coat the tube with PVA glue and continue to weave the next rows. If the tube ends, coat its edge inside with glue and insert the next one into it. Wait for the glue to dry and continue to weave.
To make the sides, lift the base tubes up and continue to braid them with workers to the required height. Fold the remaining edges of the base and hide in the weaving, cut off the excess. According to this principle, you can make a variety of baskets, jewelry boxes, bread bins, braid a bottle of champagne or wine and much more, there are many master classes on the Internet for making gizmos using this technique.
